Before Anthony Davis, Nico Harrison Targeted Anthony Edwards in Exchange for Luka Doncic

The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade was one of the most shocking in NBA history, not only for the level of talent involved but for the almost unprecedented way in which it was kept a secret from everybody in the league.

Even the most plugged-in NBA insiders had no idea this deal was going down until it did. When Shams Charania announced it via X, most people thought that his phone had been hacked.

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has been blasted for trading Luka away, but he’s been criticized even more harshly for not shopping his generational superstar around. From the way it’s been reported, Harrison had eyes for Anthony Davis and nobody else.

Because nobody knew that Luka was potentially available, there was no chance of a bidding war breaking out, which would at least have allowed Harrison to maximize his return value if he was indeed dead set on moving on from Luka.

According to a new report, though, there was one other team Harrison contacted even before the Lakers, but they weren’t interested.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported today that Harrison reached out to the Timberwolves to inquire about a Luka for Anthony Edwards swap, but he was quickly rebuffed by Minnesota’s front office.

Nico Harrison reportedly reached out to Minnesota to propose a trade involving Luka Doncic for Anthony Edwards but was rejected, per @sam_amick

“League sources tell The Athleticthat the Mavericks and Timberwolves informally discussed the prospect of swapping Dončić for… pic.twitter.com/lzMX9jrXjT

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 28, 2025

That trade would at least have made sense from an age perspective, as Edwards is also one of the league’s brightest young stars, while Anthony Davis is about to turn 32.

Anthony Davis still has the chance to make this trade work for the Mavericks

Mavericks fans will never get over losing a beloved player like Luka, but winning can cure a lot of things.

Anthony Davis got hurt in his first game as a Maverick; that’s true. Before he did, though, he put up one of the best halves of basketball the league has seen this year, giving Mavs fans hope that he might be a great fit after all.

Davis will be re-evaluated in about a week to see if his adductor strain is fully healed, so hopefully, it won’t be long until he’s back. Once he does return, he’s eager to prove that Harrison made the right move in trading for him.

The approval rating for this trade is catastrophically low from the perspective of Mavericks fans, but there’s still a world where it works out in the end.

If Davis is able to come back and anchor the Mavs’ frontcourt, then he, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson could be enough to get Dallas back to the Finals.

If Luka isn’t able to change his off-court habits, he may never reach his full potential, which means he may never deliver another title to the Lakers. There are a lot of “ifs” that Mavericks fans need to go their way, but it’s too early to give up hope.