NBA Executives Believe Luka Doncic Deal Was A Gift To The Lakers — And Now They Will Pay The Price
NBA Executives Believe Luka Doncic Deal Was A Gift To The Lakers — And Now They Will Pay The Price originally appeared on Fadeaway World.
The Los Angeles Lakers' blockbuster acquisition of Luka Doncic sent shockwaves across the NBA, not just because of the sheer magnitude of the player involved, but because of how easy it seemed.
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According to NBA insider Jake Weinbach, multiple league executives believe the Lakers were handed a 'gift' by the Dallas Mavericks when they traded for Doncic, and now, other teams around the league are prepared to make them pay for it.
The sentiment is growing among front offices: the Lakers didn't deserve to land a 26-year-old generational superstar like Luka, especially given their lack of assets.
And yet, they pulled it off, swapping Anthony Davis for Doncic in a deal that didn't even strip them of their limited draft capital. It was seen as a shocking coup, considering the Lakers had little leverage, minimal flexibility, and no clear long-term star plan with LeBron James turning 40 and Davis battling constant injury concerns.
Before the trade, Los Angeles was clinging to playoff hopes. Their defense was slowly coming together, their chemistry was improving, and there were signs they could go on a run but with LeBron aging and Davis' body unreliably fragile, the championship window felt like it was closing fast.
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Austin Reaves was their best young asset, but he wasn't bringing back a superstar in any deal.
Then the Luka Doncic trade happened.
Suddenly, the Lakers had a generational offensive engine who's not only one of the top five players in the league but someone who hasn't even reached his true prime. He's 26, has already made multiple All-NBA First Teams, led a Finals run, and carried a franchise for years.
And now, he's in purple and gold, ready to headline the post-LeBron era in Hollywood.
What's left teams around the league furious isn't just the result, it's the process. Sources suggest that Dallas never seriously shopped Luka to other teams. There was no bidding war. No multi-team auction. No leveraging of suitors.
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They quietly agreed to a deal with the Lakers, sending Davis to Dallas and receiving far less than what most teams would have given up for a player of Doncic's caliber. The sense across the league is clear: the Mavericks could have done so much better.
This, of course, fits a familiar narrative around the Lakers, one that stings other teams who've toiled for years trying to land a superstar. Magic Johnson was handed to them with the No. 1 pick while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was already on the roster.
Kobe Bryant was acquired from the Hornets in a lopsided draft-day deal. Shaquille O'Neal chose the Lakers in free agency. LeBron did the same.
And now, Luka.
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But this time, executives are pushing back. The perception of the Doncic deal as a "gift" has left many teams vowing to drive a harder bargain. If the Lakers come calling for role players or stars this offseason, they may have to overpay.
The league isn't looking to hand the Lakers another golden ticket, not after they just got one without even asking.
Related: Luka Doncic Opens Up About The Struggles Of Leaving Home At 13 To Join Real Madrid
This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Trading Haliburton for Sabonis helped end a 16-year playoff drought. Advertisement But in hindsight, they acted too fast. Now Haliburton is clearly the better point guard and running one of the best offenses in the league, and the Kings are still trying to figure out what their post-Fox future looks like. The lesson isn't don't choose. The lesson is don't choose before you have to. That's the case for keeping the trio intact. Draft Harper. Let it breathe. Give the coaching staff a year or two or three to figure out who works best with Wemby. Castle's cutting, Harper's slashing, Fox's speed all bring value. Maybe it works. And on defense, it should. Castle was already guarding top options as a rookie. Harper has the size and instincts to be switchable. And when Fox is locked in, he's a defensive playmaker fighting through screens and picking up steals. If the Spurs stick with all three, they could smother perimeter scorers and funnel everything to the league's best rim protector. 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Maybe one of them would offer a haul to move up for Harper. Looking at the history of trade downs, usually a team would give up their own first and one future first. But considering Harper's upside perhaps the Spurs could haggle for much more. The Nets, holding the 8th pick and a mountain of future firsts plus Cam Johnson, are the most interesting trade partner. Harper is a local kid with star potential, and the Nets have a clean slate he could grow with. If the Spurs want to pivot toward shooting, Johnson plus picks is a logical foundation. Advertisement In that range, Duke wing Kon Knueppel, Arizona forward Carter Bryant, and Washington State wing Cedric Coward would all be strong fits. They bring shooting and versatility, which is exactly what the current Spurs core lacks. The question: Are any of them worth passing on Harper's ceiling for? Option 4: Trade out of the draft for a star The Spurs might not need another teenager. They already have youth like Wemby, Castle, Vassell, Sochan, and a war chest of future picks even after adding Fox. So maybe the next move is to skip the draft entirely and chase a star. Right now, the Giannis whispers persist. They've also been linked to Kevin Durant. Around the league, sources say the Spurs have explored packaging the 14th pick with a player to upgrade the roster. Whether that upgrade is marginal or massive depends on who shakes loose, but it's clear San Antonio isn't waiting around. So if Giannis actually is available, maybe San Antonio's willing to put Harper on the table. Advertisement Option 5: Trade Fox Fox signed up to be Tony Parker to Wembanyama's Tim Duncan. But the Spurs weren't planning on drafting another primary ball-handler months later. Plans change. There's a case to move Fox before he signs a four-year, $229 million extension — or even a cheaper hometown discount deal. He turns 28 later this year. He's made just one playoff appearance. He still doesn't have a reliable jumper. And for a guard who lives off speed, any athletic slippage could get ugly, fast. And even if he ages gracefully and ends up being by far the most expensive of three quality shot-creators, he won't come close to having the trade value he holds right now. San Antonio has one last window to sell high. Advertisement Harper, on the other hand, is 19 with real long-term upside. Castle is younger, cheaper, and easier to fit in because he's a far better cutter and defender than Fox. It's not as if Fox and Wemby made a great first impression. Granted they ran only 46 pick-and-rolls together, they scored a measly 0.77 points per play. A full training camp might help, but maybe not if the team's shooting situation doesn't improve. Plus Castle and Harper also need touches. Fox/Wemby simply might not be the high-usage combo they envisioned. If moving Fox were on the table, the logical targets are the teams that were connected to him at the deadline: Miami Heat: Fox for Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jović, the No. 20 pick, and unprotected firsts in 2030 and 2032. Fox upgrades Miami's point guard spot, while San Antonio gets picks and three shooters including a young piece in Jović. Brooklyn Nets: Fox for Cam Johnson and draft capital. Johnson spaces the floor and fits the timeline. Houston Rockets: Fox (plus Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley) for Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, the 10th pick, and future firsts. FVV gives the Spurs a vet, while Smith would be a fascinating fit next to Wemby. Other playmaking-needy teams like the Bulls, Magic, Suns, and Timberwolves could emerge as dark horses. Phoenix is especially interesting: if the Spurs really want Durant, Fox's salary helps make the math work. Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, or Devin Vassell could be added to build a separate bigger deal. Advertisement But there's real risk here. Fox is a known commodity as an All-Star in his prime, capable of carrying an offense, capable of making Wemby's life easier today. Harper is unproven. If his jumper never levels up or his fit with Castle overlaps too much, San Antonio may have traded a sure thing for a question mark. You don't get many chances to pair a young superstar with a reliable point guard who actually wants to be there. If Harper doesn't hit, they'll spend the next five years trying to replace what they already had. When San Antonio traded for Fox, they were trying to make the playoffs. Instead, both Fox and Wemby got hurt. The team cratered. And the lottery gave them an unexpected gift. Don't waste the alien If the Spurs keep loading up on guards with questionable jumpers, they're doing it around a star who should be the gravitational center of the entire offense. Instead, they're building a roster that pulls him to the perimeter while everyone else clogs the lane. Advertisement It's not that Castle, Fox, and Harper are bad players. It's that together, they risk becoming a well-intentioned mess. Add inconsistent shooters like Sochan and Johnson, and the Spurs look like a roster that needs less of a tweak and more of an overhaul. Maybe keeping all three guards works. Maybe Castle becomes a league-average shooter, maybe Harper becomes a star, and maybe Fox finds his ideal role. But that's a lot of maybes and this isn't the kind of decision you get to re-do. The Spurs don't just have a top pick. They have a rare opportunity to choose a direction, and not waste Wemby's prime untangling a roster that never fit. Advertisement Because we've seen this before. Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. Anthony Davis in New Orleans. Generational bigs held back by years of mismatched rosters and delayed decisions. The cautionary tales are clear. So is the counterexample — and the Spurs know it better than anyone. Tim Duncan's prime was maximized because San Antonio built with precision. Shooting. Defense. Clarity. Manu Ginobili didn't need the ball to impact the game. Tony Parker could bend defenses without dominating possessions. Everyone fit around Duncan, and San Antonio always evolved with the times as the NBA changed. And because of that, it lasted two decades. Wembanyama deserves that kind of infrastructure. And right now, it feels like the Spurs are building a roster better suited for 2005. But the blueprint has never been clearer: surround your generational star with players who space the floor, make quick decisions, and elevate him without always needing the ball to do it. Do that, and Wembanyama changes the sport. Don't, and years from now we'll talk about how the Spurs landed an alien and built a roster that made him look human.
