The Los Angeles Lakers absolutely swindled the Dallas Mavericks in the Luka Doncic trade. There is no debating the extent to which they robbed them. In doing so, though, the Lakers also made it harder for themselves to swing trades now, and over the offseason.
Because having Doncic nukes the value of their future draft picks.
The Lakers’ future with Luka Doncic is too bright for other teams
The Lakers can only deal up to one first-rounder pick at the moment: their 2031 selection. That number will climb to three over the offseason, at which time they can flip whomever they select in the 2026 draft, as well as their 2031 and 2033 picks.