Lakers wanted to pair Luka Doncic with a player Mavericks fans still can't stand

The Los Angeles Lakers are still trying to build the perfect roster around Luka Doncic ahead of his second full season with the team, and one player they were interested in trading for was Lu Dort, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. Dort was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade last weekend that sent Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks, Ryan Nembhard and Dort to Atlanta, and draft capital to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers wanted to unite Doncic and Dort in Los Angeles

A few days after the deal went down, we now know that the Lakers were among the interested teams in the 6-foot-4 wing before Atlanta got their hands on him. Los Angeles is doing whatever they can to build a contender around Doncic, and a report even surfaced that they're looking to acquire players that are similar to the ones he played with in Dallas. Every move that they make has Doncic at the front of their mind.

They wanted rim-rolling big men and two-way wings, and while Doncic and Dort may have a complicated history, Dort would've been an excellent fit for the Lakers on the wing. He is one of the best defenders in the NBA, and Dort and Doncic are certainly past the instances that made Dort quickly fall out of favor with Mavericks fans.

This frustration still lingers inside many Mavericks fans, especially since Dort's dirty plays haven't slowed down.

How Lu Dort became a Mavericks villain

Dort became public enemy No. 1 among MFFLs during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, as he was involved in multiple questionable plays that fans didn't particularly like. He has always been known for walking the line between dirtiness and physical defense, and he took things to another level in that series.

Dort was trying to do whatever it took to help his team win, and this included hounding Doncic for the entirety of every game. He was as physical as possible with him, and this led to Doncic injuring his back in Game 3 when both players were crashing the glass. This play looked questionable as soon as it happened, as Dort is typically reckless during loose-ball situations, but this just scratches the surface regarding why many Mavericks fans don't like the seven-year veteran.

There were several instances in which Dort undercut Doncic while closing out on him in that series, and he even kneed Doncic when trying to fight through a screen from Derrick Jones Jr.

Dort also made contact with Dereck Lively II's groin when fighting through a screen in that heated series, and he was ejected for doing this to Gafford less than a year later during a regular-season game in 2025.

This would've been awkward...

Mavericks fans have every reason to be fed up with Dort's antics over the years, and given that many Mavs fans still follow Luka closely, they were nearly forced to watch Doncic team up with one of his nemeses from Dallas' best playoff run since 2011. Dort would've been a great pickup for the Lakers, but it wouldn't have felt right for Mavericks fans to see him don the purple and gold with No. 77.

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