"Dallas targeted Ant, Giannis & Davis" - NBA fans react to Mavericks reportedly discussing Anthony Edwards for Luka Doncic deal weeks before big trade

The Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February stunned the sports world. Doncic is a generational talent who is considered one of the best players on the planet and is only now hitting his prime.

The Mavs organization, and particularly general manager Nico Harrison, were heavily criticized after what seemed to be an uneven deal. Dallas received only Anthony Davis, Max Christie and one first-round pick in exchange for Doncic.

Following the trade, many analysts asked why Harrison had not reached out to other NBA teams to secure the best possible offer.

Sports Illustrated reported on Feb. 12 that the Mavs enquired about a possible trade involving Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

According to a recent piece from The Athletic, there was another team the Mavericks approached. Per NBA writer Sam Amick, the Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves had discussions regarding a Luka Doncic for Anthony Edwards swap, which Minnesota rejected.

"League sources tell The Athletic that the Mavericks and Timberwolves informally discussed the prospect of swapping Dončić for 23-year-old, three-time All-Star Anthony Edwards in the weeks before the Lakers deal went down," reported Amick.

"More specifically, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison reached out to the Timberwolves and asked if there was any chance they’d be willing to trade Edwards. He was promptly told no," added Amick.

It has been nearly a month since the blockbuster trade, and NBA fans were surprised to learn that Luka Doncic could have been heading to Minnesota. Many took to social media to discuss the Mavericks' thought process and how a Doncic-Edwards trade would have affected the league.

"Sounds like Dallas targeted Ant, Giannis and Davis," said one fan on Reddit.

NBA fan discusses Dallas Mavericks decision to trade Luka Doncic. Photo Credit: Reddit

"I would have done this if I was Minnesota," said a fan on X.

"Which would've been the bigger trade?" Commented one fan.

"Wolves said no to Ant for Luka?" Said a fan.

"Nico Harrison desperate to trade off Luka … shame," said one fan.

"Edwards would have been a more reasonable option compared to the nonsense that actually went down," said another fan.

The article from Amick went on to say that per the league sources, the Timberwolves were "stunned" that Dallas was even considering moving on from Doncic.

Last season, Doncic led the NBA in points per game (33.9) and finished third in MVP voting. He also led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA finals since 2011.

NBA insider reports the Mavericks and Nico Harrison were determined to trade Luka Doncic before next summer

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Photo Credit: Imagn

Several weeks after the trade took place between the Mavericks and Lakers, some additional information has surfaced. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks had planned to part ways with Doncic before the summer. Stein wrote the following on his Substack page on Tuesday:

"Whispers via league sources suggesting that Dallas’ decision-makers, most notably general manager Nico Harrison, no longer wanted Planet Mavericks to orbit around Dončić and had grown determined to trade him by this summer at the latest."

Doncic was eligible for a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer, which may have been one of the reasons the GM was looking to move the All-Star.