Mavericks' Anthony Davis blockbuster just revived a dream Luka Doncic reunion

The Dallas Mavericks have become experts at making trades that send shockwaves throughout the NBA. They’ve got it down to a science. The Anthony Davis experiment seemed doomed from the start, and now the Mavs have sent him packing to the Washington Wizards just before the NBA trade deadline buzzer. Talk about a clutch performance.

The dust hasn’t even settled, yet there's already a contingent of Mavericks fans who hope this trade could open the door for the eventual return of Luka Doncic to his rightful home here in Dallas.

Wouldn’t that be something? The European prodigal son returning to his original team, wiser, leaner, and with plenty left in the tank to take care of unfinished business from Dallas’ loss in the 2024 NBA Finals? Wouldn’t that be poetic?

Luka Doncic returning to the Mavericks would be poetic justice

Doncic seemed more than ready to sign a supermax deal with the Mavericks and commit long-term to the franchise that drafted him at 19 years of age, before he was unceremoniously banished by Nico Harrison with a coldness that rivaled the Alaskan tundra.

Doncic was in the process of purchasing a new home in the Dallas area mere days before he was traded for Anthony Davis. Another sign that Doncic saw himself and his growing family in Dallas for the long haul.

Doncic is now dazzling Los Angeles Lakers fans under the bright lights of Tinseltown. But can the glitz and glamor of celebrities on the front row and palm trees outweigh the call of your adopted hometown? It just seems a bit artificial. And Doncic’s laid-back sensibilities may be more suited to the Dallas pace of life.

Laker fans have been spoiled by an abundance of superstars over the years. The weight of those expectations can be crippling. Even suffocating. Not everyone wants that level of media and fan scrutiny on a day-to-day basis. It’s hard to picture Doncic enduring that for the rest of his career. 

And where there is a will, there is a way. Plus, Doncic has a player option for the 2028-29 season that allows him to opt out in the summer of 2028 to become an unrestricted free agent. And yes, Cooper Flagg is there. But Doncic was able to share the ball with Kyrie Irving. And he's sharing duties with LeBron James right now. So this could all potentially prepare him for a future partnership with Flagg and his old friend, Kyrie Irving.

The Mavericks' trade with Washington for Davis created significant future cap flexibility due to the number of expiring contracts they acquired, and if they play their cards right over the next few years, they could put themselves in a prime position to lure Luka Doncic back to Dallas.

Before trading Davis, Dallas had no shot of bringing Doncic home in the distant future. He's currently in year one of a three-year, $175 million deal, and was puhsing for an extension. Now, with Davis gone and the Mavericks' books beginning to clean up, fans will be dreaming of Doncic once again. It wouldn't be easy, but this is the type of move that Mavericks fans would love to see.

Dallas treasures its stars in a way few fanbases can. Dirk Nowitzki’s legacy has been immortalized. And Dallas just had a touching jersey retirement ceremony for Mavericks legend Mark Aguirre. It’s no stretch to say Doncic would receive more of the same and then some.

Doncic can even use his current Laker teammate, LeBron James, for inspiration. James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a decision that devastated the fans and their local economy. However, he made things right by returning to Cleveland and leading them to their only franchise championship in 2016.

Dallas embraced a young Slovenian fresh from Europe and watched him become a man. The Dallas fans saw a flashy rookie become a perennial All-NBA performer. A conductor who knew how to reach the right notes at just the right time. The fans cheered his playoff exploits and every improbable clutch shot he made en route to the 2024 NBA Finals. It seemed like the ride of a lifetime was just beginning.

That has to count for something. And Dallas fans are hoping that Doncic still has that soft spot for the Mavericks' faithful as well. Doncic’s exit from Dallas felt like the last season of Game of Thrones. That wasn’t the right ending. Something was missing. Closure. And only the original architect, the maestro himself, can return to make it right.

For all of Doncic’s imperfections - the incessant whining to the referees and subpar training habits- Dallas Mavericks fans understood that "Luka Legend" was theirs for better or worse.

Maybe it seems like a fanciful dream at best. Delusions of grandeur, perhaps? A pipe dream with faulty plumbing? But expunging Anthony Davis’s injury-riddled Mavericks’ campaign from Dallas’ record books makes anything seem possible. The sun is shining just a little bit brighter now.

It reminds me of Steven Spielberg’s movie “E.T.” Except this time the catchphrase will be “Luka, phone home.” I’m sure the Mavericks front office would be glad to pick up.