The Lakers happily accepted Luka Doncic from the Mavericks, but there may have been a deeper reason that they traded Anthony Davis.

The Los Angeles Lakers have completed a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks, acquiring five-time NBA All-Star guard Luka Doncic along with forward Maxi Kleber and centre Markieff Morris.

NBA reporter Jake Weinbach reported that “there’s a belief” that the Mavericks contacted the Bucks about potentially trading Doncic for Antetokounmpo. He even referenced The Athletic’s Sam Amick’s report that the Mavericks contacted a different team before making their trade with the Lakers.