Inasmuch as the Philadelphia 76ers heavily floundered this season, the 2024-25 regular season will not be earmarked by their struggles. That honor probably goes to one of, if not the most surprising trade that happened in the middle of the campaign.
Days before the trade deadline, Dallas shook the world and changed the league’s narrative forever when it took it upon itself to trade franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, less than a year after the Slovenian superstar had just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals.
The trade was so sudden and highly specific to favor the Lakers that suspicions of a collusion were widespread. On paper, though, the deal was too one-sided that teams could have certainly put forth a stronger offer than what Los Angeles had to send.
For the 76ers, this could have been the package.
How the 76ers could have landed Luka Doncic from the Mavs
ESPN recently released a list of trade packages that each team could have offered for Doncic, and for Philadelphia, it consists of Paul George, Jared McCain, and four future second-round picks which would be unprotected.
Right from the get-go, it would be easy to spot why this could have been a better deal for the Mavericks. The Lakers only had to part with a single future first-round pick to sweeten the pot and acquire Doncic. In this case, the 76ers have four to allure Dallas’ brass.
While George has drastically declined this season, he is still a perennial All-Star who probably suffered from having his rhythm snapped right off the bat when he suffered two early injuries. And given that Davis is even more injury-prone than George, it’s hard to imagine the Mavericks envisioning Davis as a safer option.
That further evades reason if we factor in Jared McCain, who clearly has star potential. Max Christie, the other part of the deal, is a mere role player who cannot create his own shot. McCain would have given Dallas a potential successor to Kyrie Irving.
Having said that, this trade idea plays it safe a bit too much. After all, given George’s red flags, Dallas could have just demanded that, say, Tyrese Maxey be the one at the crux of the deal. This is to say that the 76ers could have given more than just this one, and realistically speaking, the Mavs probably think the same way.
Grade: C+