Many are aware that when it came to anything Lauri Markkanen-related this past offseason, I had lots to say. I was all for him coming to Dallas; I thought he’d make Kristaps Porzingis’ life easier, and that Luka Doncic would help elevate him as a player. According to sources, the Mavericks had real discussions with Markkanen, but were unable to secure a deal as Chicago wasn’t willing to take on money past this season and other teams offered more assets Dallas didn’t possess.
Markkanen was very interested in Dallas
It had been mentioned many times that Markkanen had interest in playing with Luka, but that had never been confirmed.