Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
The only thing certain about the future of the Dallas Mavericks, is that it’s pretty uncertain. Kyrie Irving‘s impending free agency has left the front office with a lot to think about. There’s also been speculation that the addition of Irving has ruffled Luka Doncic‘s feathers and he may now be unhappy in Dallas.
Then, there are people who believe that the trade for the 31-year-old star was only the first building block for the Mavericks.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons falls into that category. On the March 29 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, he predicted that Dallas would have a few new faces joining both Irving and Doncic in the Lone Star State.
Simmons pinpointed Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as potential future-Mavericks.
“I think he ends up in Dallas with Kyrie and with Luka, and the LeBron tries to figure out a way to get there eventually,” Simmons said. “Yeah, that’s my prediction.”
If Dallas was to somehow land Green this summer, James tagging along wouldn’t be the most surprising thing ever. The two have history of being great friends, not to mention LeBron won a championship with Irving during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Mavericks Considered the ‘Right Place’ for Draymond Green
Simmons isn’t the first to mention the possibility of Green playing alongside Doncic in Dallas. Earlier this month, Heavy Sports‘ Sean Deveney had an anonymous league source tell him something similar.
“I have always thought Dallas would be the right place for him,” the source said of Green. “Put him with Luka, another super competitive guy, and those two could really raise everyone’s level,” “Or they could drive everyone crazy, they could drive each other crazy and wind up at each other’s throats. I think Draymond is the exact right kind of guy you want with Luka, though, someone who cares about winning as much as he does.”
If the Mavericks did have interest in bringing in the 33-year-old forward, they’d be able to do so regardless if he opts in or out of the final year of his contract. If he opts in, Golden State could very well explore trading him in order to maximize their return.
“The hope is that Draymond just decides to opt into the final year of his deal and they can proceed from there,” the source said. “You can trade him at that point, you don’t have to worry about a sign-and-trade and all the restrictions that come with that. You can work with him to find a place he wants to go. Or you can say to him, let’s give it one more run, be a leader, let’s win a championship here and we’ll pay you.”
LeBron James Issues Statement on Wild Luka Doncic Play in Mavs Win
James recently went viral when he tweeted about Doncic. After the 24-year-old dished a wild cross-court dime against the Indiana Pacers, The King took to Twitter and shared his thoughts on the play, sending praise the Slovenian’s way.
“Man that’s SIMPLY INSANE!!!!,” James tweeted, followed by a whopping nine sideways-crying-laughing emojis.