Mavericks Attempted to Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo for Luka Doncic, Bucks Refused: Report

The Mavericks apparently attempted to trade Luka Doncic for the Bucks' superstar before trading him to the Lakers.

Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on from the court against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The NBA world was shocked when the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a move that no one in the NBA saw coming.

What made this trade so surprising is that the Mavs didn't open up any bidding for Doncic. They approached just two teams in their pursuit to get rid of him.

Obviously, the Lakers were one of those teams. Mavs GM Nico Harrison loves Anthony Davis and ended up making the trade for the Lakers' big man.

There was reportedly another team that the Mavericks approached about trading Doncic. No one knew who that team was or what player they wanted.

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Now, we know who that other team is. Apparently, it's the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavs wanted to try to trade Doncic for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

According to Gery Woelfel of Woelfel's Press Box, the Mavs approached Milwaukee about swapping superstars. Ultimately, the Bucks decided against the trade.

Allegedly, the Mavericks also contacted the Minnesota Timberwolves about trading Doncic for Anthony Edwards. Both teams refused, and Dallas moved on to Los Angeles.

Antetokounmpo is a staple in Milwaukee who has already proven to be a winner. He won the 2021 title with the Bucks, in part thanks to a 50-point outburst in the Game 6 to clinch the title.

More than that, Antetokounmpo might be the most popular athlete in the state of Wisconsin. The Bucks fans would not have reacted well to them trading him, even if it was for someone as great as Doncic.

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It seems that the Bucks made the right decision to keep Antetkounmpo because they still have a chance to win the title this year. Instead of trading him, they decided to trade Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma.

If the Bucks can keep themselves healthy, they have a chance to be formidable in the playoffs. Antetokounmpo has missed the last five games with a calf strain and will miss at least the next week with the same injury, so that's not ideal.

So far this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Doncic is averaging 27.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game.

More Milwaukee Bucks:

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