After a catastrophic second-half of the season, the Dallas Mavericks‘ 2022-23 campaign has finally come to a close. Once the Mavs’ final game against the San Antonio Spurs wrapped up Sunday afternoon, most of the team sat down for exit interviews with the media. Not amongst them, upcoming free agents Kyrie Irving and Christian Wood, who each declined the opportunity to speak with reporters.
Irving’s cloudy future with Dallas was a talking point during star guard Luka Doncic‘s availability. When prompted on the looming offseason, Doncic discussed the fit between him and his co-star, saying he hopes Kyrie sticks around.
“I mean, yeah. I think it’s a great fit,” he said via the Mavs Fans For Life YouTube Channel. “Obviously, people are going to say no. I mean, I look at the results we’re having, but you know, like I said, chemistry and relationships take time. I wish he can still be here.”
The 24-year-old then went a bit further, discussing Irving’s poor public image, denying the reports that Uncle Drew was blowing up teams.
“I mean, he is a great player. He just wants peace and is a great person, and you can talk to him normally. Nothing that was said before — I didn’t know because I didn’t know him, but it wasn’t true.”
Luka Doncic Denies Rumors of Frustrations With Mavericks
Doncic also took some time to discuss rumors of his displeasure in Dallas. He cleared the air, telling reporters and fans that the rumblings of him possibly requesting a trade were not true.
“I saw the report. I don’t know who, somebody said that I was going to request a trade. It was funny because I didn’t know that was true. I didn’t say it.” What if things don’t improve?: “I’m happy here. There’s nothing to worry [about].” Doncic said via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth.
Luka Doncic was asked about the Dallas Mavericks feeling they need to “earn” his loyalty to avoid him being the next superstar to ask for a trade.
“I saw the report. I don’t know who, somebody said that I was going to request a trade. It was funny because I didn’t know that was…
In an article published a day prior, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that there was “fear” within the Mavericks organization that the Slovenian star could consider asking out as soon as next year.
“Team sources have acknowledged to ESPN that fear exists that Doncic, who publicly and privately expressed extreme frustration this season, could consider requesting a trade as soon as the summer of 2024 if Dallas doesn’t make significant progress by then,” he wrote.
NBA Executives Weigh in On Luka Doncic’s Future with Mavs
Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney recently spoke with a pair of league sources, who weighed in on Doncic’s future with the Mavs.
An Eastern Conference general manager told him that a trade request would be unlikely at this time.
“It might be wishful thinking,” the source told Heavy Sports. “But there is definitely a thought process of this happening eventually, and it being a matter of when and not if. But the truth is, we were saying that about Giannis, too, and that certainly changed. Bradley Beal, guys like that—there is no reason to think that Luka is bolting for the door. Not yet, at least.”
A second source echoed that sentiment, pumping the breaks on any trade specualtion.
“The Mavericks are not going there, and everyone knows it,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “There is just no way. 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. 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.”
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Luka Doncic Sounds Off on Kyrie Irving Amid Cloudy Mavericks Future