Getty Mark Cuban and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Dallas Mavericks have had a rocky season so far this year. They currently sit at 24-20 on the season, which is good enough to land them in fifth place in the Western Conference standings for the time being.
Luka Doncic has been carrying the load for Dallas this season, doing a little bit of everything for them on the court. However, fans have grown tired of watching Doncic try to do it all on his own, and some even made a mural of Doncic begging for help. But Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was not a fan.
“It is disrespectful,” Cuban stated via leaked emails discovered by the Dallas Observer. “But it’s your choice to do what you want. If that’s the way you want to be a fan, go for it.”
The mural was created by Preston Pannek, a Mavericks fan and Dallas graffiti artist. He said that he’s a big fan of the team but is sick of seeing Doncic do everything by himself.
“I’m a big fan of the Dallas Mavericks,” Pannek says. “However, like most fans here in Dallas, I’m a little tired of us not being able to get any free agents here. We have arguably the best basketball player in the world and we can’t attract a free agent here, and he’s doing a ridiculous amount of work, and it’s gonna wear him down because we can’t get him any help.”
Pannek even provided a suggestion for the Mavericks to pursue – Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
“Luka deserves a sidekick,” Pannek says. “Bojan Bogdanović would be an awesome pair. They complement each other really well. We need another offensive scorer who can give Luka some help. He can’t just play every minute of every game.”
Mavericks Have ‘Expressed Interest’ in Bojan Bogdanovic
Adding a guy like Bogdanovic into the mix would be a great idea for the Mavericks, as he would be able to take some of the scoring load off of Doncic while also playing alongside him effectively. Pannek isn’t the only one to have this idea, though.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Mavericks have “expressed interest” in trading for Bogdanovic.
“Bogdanovic’s strong play has led numerous playoff-caliber teams around the league to express interest in trading for him, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, among several others, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Thus far, Detroit has been unwilling to engage in trade talks for the 33-year-old forward. Rival executives, however, are hopeful that stance changes closer to the deadline if Detroit continues to remain in the cellar of the East, with Cade Cunningham expected to miss the rest of the season.”
Mavericks Urged to Trade for Mike Conley
Another potential idea for the Mavericks to pursue would be adding another playmaker to play alongside Doncic. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report suggested that the Mavericks make a trade for Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley.
“Conley would be a stabilizing force at point guard, able to play with or without Doncic given his ball-handling and off-ball shooting skills,” Swartz wrote. “He would bring 73 games of playoff experience, and he ranks eighth in the NBA this season with 7.6 assists per game.”