The Dallas Mavericks are still reeling from the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers back in February 2025, but NBA champ Kendrick Perkins has a bold idea to turn things around. On ESPN’s NBA Today on April 10, Perkins suggested that trading for Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant could be the move to “make things right” for Dallas after losing their franchise cornerstone. With Doncic now dazzling in purple and gold, the Mavs are searching for a spark, and Perkins thinks Durant might just be the answer to soothe a heartbroken fanbase.
Perkins didn’t mince words when he laid out his vision. “It’s a way for Dallas to make this right,” he said. “A lot of people are talking about, ‘They didn’t get enough back [for Luka Doncic], they should’ve gotten Austin Reaves.’ You wanna know how they can make this right? As soon as the season is over, you go out and you go get Kevin Durant.”
Pairing Durant with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis -who came over in the Doncic deal-could create a new Big Three in Dallas, blending Durant’s scoring prowess with Irving’s wizardry and Davis’ two-way dominance. It’s a tantalizing thought for a team that’s slipped to a shaky 8-14 since the trade.
Durant to Dallas: The Luka Doncic trade fix fans need
The Luka trade still stings. Doncic, a five-time All-NBA first-teamer, dropped 45 points in his emotional return to Dallas on April 9, torching the Mavs in a 112-97 Lakers win. Fans chanted “Fire Nico” at GM Nico Harrison, who swapped the 25-year-old phenom for Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-rounder-a haul many called underwhelming.
Perkins sees Durant, a 36-year-old scoring machine averaging 26.6 points in 2024-25, as the fix. “Go get KD to pair alongside Kyrie and AD,” he urged, suggesting the Mavs have the pieces and cap space to pull it off this offseason.
Durant’s no stranger to big moves-he left OKC for Golden State in 2016 and won two titles-so a reunion with Irving, his old Nets running mate, isn’t far-fetched. The Suns, stuck in a 1-3 playoff rut over Durant’s last three seasons, might listen if the Mavs dangle assets like that 2029 pick or young big Dereck Lively II. Dallas has the cash too, with over $30 million in projected cap space. For a fanbase still mourning Luka, landing a 14-time All-Star could flip the script and put the Mavs back in the title hunt.
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