![\"C\u00f3](\"https:\/\/scontent.fdad3-4.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/490770509_690112853775697_4882036837282918522_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=IMfn-reWaIwQ7kNvwGalN5E&_nc_oc=AdmRQh9XTEtqXgI-j2LNkpIAbosUk4DTH1yHBR1lFr8Q14-SrU-iBvaxLWYM38lpe4I&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fdad3-4.fna&_nc_gid=hH06DMBWrNRCvJ1uVliWjQ&oh=00_AfHVg5OH4IgZ9x8PgH_OqqcvXuSMITkRkHdCEZt-FIj0ww&oe=680AB869\")
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It\u2019s a day that will live in NBA infamy: Feb. 2, 2025, when the Dallas Mavericks made one of the most shocking trades in sports history, dealing Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and LA\u2019s 2029 first-round pick.<\/p>\n
Relitigating the stupidity of the trade from Dallas\u2019s perspective isn\u2019t worth it. Enough has been written about Mavs GM Nico Harrison and his defense-wins-championships mentality, which apparently takes precedence over the have-one-of-the-best-players-in-the-world mentality.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s done is done. Luka is the future in Los Angeles, while he and LeBron James try and win the Lakers another title in the present. Davis, meanwhile, can now process things on a warm beach somewhere after the Mavericks fell short of the playoffs, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next for Dallas is a conundrum. Presumably, the Mavs will run it back next year and hope that a healthy Kyrie Irving can pair with Davis to lead the franchise back to the NBA Finals. But what if Harrison shocks the world one more time? And if he does, could the\u00a0Bulls jump into the fray\u00a0this time?<\/p>\n
![\"BREAKING:](\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Bulls-news-Billy-Donovan-gets-real-on-potential-Nikola-Vucevic-lineup-change-2.jpg?w=700\")
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Andy Bailey of\u00a0Bleacher Report<\/em>\u00a0published a wildly unlikely yet intriguing proposal between the Bulls, Mavericks and Orlando Magic. The\u00a0trade and its numerous moving parts\u00a0look like this:<\/p>\n Mavericks Receive:<\/em>\u00a0Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Jonathan Isaac, a 2028 first-round pick from Chicago, a 2029 first-round pick swap from Chicago and a top-five-protected 2030 first-round pick from Chicago<\/p>\n Magic Receive:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107 and a top-50-protected 2025 second-round pick from Dallas (via Philadelphia)<\/p>\n Harrison may need to sprint to another country if he trades Davis only months after trading Doncic, but perhaps completely retooling and starting from scratch makes the most sense for the Mavericks. In this scenario, they take on nearly $40 million of expiring contracts from Chicago and Isaac, whose deal only includes $8 million guaranteed.<\/p>\n In addition to that cap space, the trio of picks from Chicago could become valuable depending on Davis\u2019s health a few seasons from now and what else the Bulls do with their roster.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Vucevic and his\u00a0$21 million expiring deal\u00a0head back to Orlando, where the 35-year-old started his NBA career.<\/p>\n AD\u2019s health is what would make or break this trade for Chicago. When he\u2019s healthy, the 32-year-old is a top-10 player in the league. He can score at all three levels and is among the most versatile shot blockers and big man defenders the NBA has to offer.<\/p>\n When he was available for 76 games with the Lakers in 2023-24, he was named Second Team All-NBA, First-Team All-Defense and earned a spot on the Western Conference All-Star Team. He averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks on 55.6 percent shooting from the field.<\/p>\n Add that version of Davis to\u00a0Chicago\u2019s young core\u00a0of Josh Giddey, Coby White and Matas Buzelis, and the Bulls become a team capable of making a deep playoff push.<\/p>\n The organization doesn\u2019t give up a lot to land AD either, likely due to his age and injury history. He\u2019s only played more than 60 games twice in the last eight seasons. But Collins, Huerter and Vucevic are\u00a0already on the trade block, so it wouldn\u2019t hurt to lose them if it meant bringing back Davis.<\/p>\n The trio of first-round picks isn\u2019t super painful to part with either. The 2028 first is the most consequential, but if the Bulls are as good as they hope to be in three years, that pick would land later in the first round. The swap the following season may not convey, while the 2030 selection is heavily protected.<\/p>\n Again, Davis\u2019s injury history brings inherent risk to this trade for the Bulls. But his defense and rim protection are ideal for this current roster, and he would give Chicago a true No. 1 scorer. That would relegate White to the team\u2019s second option, a role for which he is arguably overqualified.<\/p>\n But the Bulls would be more relevant than they have been since the Derrick Rose era, and their ceiling would take a massive jump from Play-In regular to top of the conference contender.<\/p>\n What’s next for Dallas is a conundrum. Presumably, the Mavs will run it back next year and hope that a healthy Kyrie Irving can pair with Davis to lead the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":54520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
![\"BREAKING:](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4200,h_2362\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/24\/01js806vppvsta060w1q.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGrading the Anthony Davis mock trade for the Bulls<\/h2>\n
Bulls trade grade: B<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"