In an attempt to ward off trade speculation, Luka Doncic told reporters on Sunday that he’s happy in Dallas, but his demeanor at the podium suggested otherwise, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Doncic was clearly disturbed by the Mavericks‘ late-season collapse that resulted in an early vacation, and he wasn’t on board with the choice to rest rotation players on Friday while there was still a chance to make the play-in tournament.
“I didn’t like that decision,” he said. “That’s it.”
Doncic also said, “Something’s got to change,” but refused to elaborate on specifics, adding, “I don’t want to talk to the media about it.”
Teams around the league are monitoring Doncic’s situation, but he doesn’t have much leverage to push for a trade even if he decides he wants out of Dallas, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy. The maximum extension that Doncic signed in 2021 will keep him under contract through the 2026/27 season.
“The only way he can force a trade is to sit out like Ben Simmons did and anyone who knows anything about Luka knows he is not going to do that. There’s just no way,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “Anyone saying they’re going to trade him isn’t looking at the facts, or it is wishful thinking. Why trade him? You have him signed through 2027. This is not an issue until 2025 or 2026. That’s just the reality, the way the CBA is set up. He has not been in town long enough to start asking out.”
There’s more from Dallas:
- Kyrie Irving didn’t address the media after Sunday’s game, but coach Jason Kidd indicated that Irving has enjoyed his time with the Mavericks and will be open to re-signing in free agency, Townsend adds. “I think he’s excited to be here,” Kidd said. “He’s excited to work with Luka. He believes that we have a chance to win. And so this is a big summer, not just for us as Mavs, but for Kai. Everything we’ve done is to show that this is a great city, a great organization. And now it’s time to continue to build that process of winning the championship.”
- Free agent big man Christian Wood seems unlikely to return, Marc Stein writes in his latest Subtack article. Stein notes that there was talk of an extension for Wood before the Irving trade, but now it doesn’t appear that Dallas will try to re-sign him. Stein adds that JaVale McGee and Tim Hardaway Jr. also have uncertain futures, but their contracts won’t make them easy to move.
- David Aldridge of The Athletic questions the wisdom of the NBA’s investigation of the Mavericks for resting healthy players, claiming it’s no different than what numerous other teams have done.
“This is not an issue until 2025 or 2026” –
True, but this off season is critical to determining if it will be an issue then. DAL FO has to get a grip and get it quickly about what team building is, and what it isn’t. If they do, that timeline (2025/26) is fine, as long as they get to work. If they don’t, no amount of time can help them.
How is it “no different than what numerous other teams have done” when the Mavs still had a chance at getting into the play-in? The purpose of the play-in, as far as I can tell, is to disincentivize tanking. Yet they decided to put a less competitive team out there to protect a draft pick. I gave the example the other day that this should be similar to what states do when they raise the speed limit, but double the fines for going over it. The NBA should make an example of Dallas for this.
I was just thinking. I’m a Nets’ fan, not a Knicks’ fan (though not a hater), but I think the appropriate punishment would be stripping the Mavs of the pick protection they were trying to save.
Good solid idea, forfeit the puck.
The Knicks tamper with Brunson lose a 2nd. Many teams tank all year and lose nothing. Mavs sit guys for 2 games “strip them of their first!” On what planet does this sound reasonable??
It’s very reasonable. They made a trade with known pick protection yet still were alive in the postseason race. They purposefully reduced their chances at making the play-in while they were still eligible in order to protect a pick. There is a slightly less harsh alternative. They can be docked one spot in the picking order since it was clear what they were doing. If they’re drawn for a top four pick, they would keep it. If they’re not picked, the Knicks would get #11.
The Heat did more or less the same with two games left, to be fair.
I still don’t see the comparison. Miami was guaranteed a spot in the play-in. Yes, they lost today, but they have another shot to get in Thursday.
Other teams threw in the towel when they still had a chance at the play-in (Indiana, for example). They just did it earlier than Dallas did (and you could certainly argue that the Mavs doing it with just two games left makes it worse).
It does make it worse because it’s clear they had a shot at the play-in. With the talent of Luka and Kyrie, they could’ve had the ability to turn it on in the postseason.
Pick
At the trade deadline, the 3 WC teams that were 10th, 11th and 12th were UTH, OKC and POR. All 3 teams deliberately got worse at the deadline and went into obvious tank mode for the entire 2nd half (about 24 games). LAL were 13th, improved at the deadline and passed all 3 of the tankers, plus DAL, MIN and NOP. All of those 3 teams tried to improve, they just didn’t. But only DAL got so bad that they fell behind one of the tankers, OKC. Only at that point did they tank. Amazingly, after DAL announced they’d lose their last 2, OKC knowing it couldn’t finish behind DAL, decided to win its last 2.
I’m all for a penalty for tanking. But whatever penalty DAL gets, should be multiplied by 10+ for OKC, UTH and POR. Multiplied by 30+ for SAS, and 100+ for HOU. That’s just the WC, the EC has it’s own panzer divisions.