The Dallas Mavericks once had Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson among their ranks at the same time. Something like that would never happen today! In the end, though, it was way too good to be true. And though Brunson says he would’ve liked to stay in Dallas, they chose to let him go. They kept Luka (till Nico Harrison did his thing). But was that the right call? Not if you ask one of Dirk Nowitzki‘s former teammates.
Raymond Felton used to play with Dirk back in the day. Safe to say he knows a thing or two about European greats. Well, that same man thinks Luka Doncic doesn’t even up measure up to his contemporary, Jalen Brunson. Let alone Dirk. And even when Felton’s co-hosts asked if he was sure about going on the record with this hot take, Felton stood on business.
“I’m rolling with him before, and I know y’all may think I’m crazy. I’m rolling [with him] before Luka…I don’t give a f**k. He’s showing it. I’m just saying he’s showing it, bro… Now I gotta give him some credit. I give him some of his flowers, bro. He’s on the biggest stage in New York City, and he’s doing it. He’s winning. What he did that last game versus Detroit was that shot was insane. And what he’s done the last two, these last two games at Boston, he’s hitting big shots, bro, against high-level defenders,” he said, leaving his co-hosts flabbergasted.
Raymond Felton says Jalen Brunson is better than Luka Doncic
( @ToTheBaha ) pic.twitter.com/Qaa6fTt0EJ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 10, 2025
Having played with a legend like Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, it’s understandable why Felton may be underwhelmed by Luka. Even after the Mavs traded him, there were high hopes for the pairing of Luka and LeBron. But they crashed out of the Playoffs early. They can thank the Ant-Man-led Minnesota Timberwolves for that. Anyhow, this not only caused Luka’s stock to plummet but also cast doubts over his ability to become a franchise player.
On the other hand, Jalen Brunson’s been tearing it up in big games for the Knicks in the postseason. He scored 29 points against the Celtics in Game 1 to seal the overtime victory for the Knicks in an extremely close game. And in the game before that, he dropped 40 on the Pistons and won the series for the Knicks in impressive fashion. Now, this isn’t to say that Luka doesn’t have clutch performances, but this postseason has exposed one thing — he needs help.
And he may get it in the form of a familiar face. You see, ESPN’s Tim McMahon recently suggested a crazy possibility that could see Luka reunite with a Dallas teammate. Here’s what the veteran journalist outlined.
Tim McMahon proposes an unlikely reunion between Luka Doncic and a former Mavs teammate
It’s unlikely that Nico Harrison will entertain a trade with his friend Rob Pelinka anytime soon. After all, the Luka deal made him public enemy number one. But on the “Hoop Collective” podcast, ESPN’s Tim McMahon outlined a possible deal that could right some of the wrongs of the deal in February.
“Let me throw one at you. This is pure hypothetical, me trying to be GM,” he said. “Dereck Lively is a year away from getting an extension, Daniel Gafford is entering the final year of his contract, Gafford reasonably and rightly wants to get starting center money. You can’t have AD [Anthony Davis] on a max, Lively on a big contract, and pay Gafford starting center money.”
So, to remedy this issue that the Mavs might face, Tim proposed a player exchange. The Lakers send their fourth-best option, Rui Hachimura, who can be a threat going both ways, to Dallas. And in return, they receive what they desperately need — a big man who can rise to the lobs that Luka throws up, aka, Daniel Gafford. “I could at least put something together that would at least be intriguing for the Mavericks. Rui, all those picks that they’ve got to give up, a swap or two, I can put something together to make sense to both sides,” McMahon added.
How likely is this trade, though? Yes, Gafford is in the final year of his contract. But the claim that the Mavs would trade him for Rui? Well, that’s dubious at best. On the other hand, though, the Lakers will probably try to offload Rui Hachimura after he failed to turn up in the postseason. Regardless, even this trade doesn’t seem unlikely, after all, we never thought Luka would be traded, either.
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