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The 2022-23 season is officially over for the Dallas Mavericks. Sunday’s 138-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs put a bow on what truly was a disaster second-half of the year. A second half that was so bad, that it made many question the long-term future of Luka Doncic in Dallas.
The 24-year-old superstar opened up about his plans down the road, reassuring fans that they’ve got nothing to worry about, after the team’s defeat in the regular-season finale.
“”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.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon had reported just a day earlier, that there had been fear within the organization that Doncic would request a trade if things don’t improve by the end of next season.
“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.
Execs Talk Luka Doncic’s Future with Mavericks
Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney recently chatted with a few anonymous NBA executives, getting their takes on Doncic’s situation in Dallas.
A source compared the buzz around the Slovenian star to that of Giannis Antetokounmpo a few years back.
“It might be wishful thinking,” one Eastern Conference GM 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.”
Another source pumped the breaks on any speculation, highlighting the fact that Doncic is under contract with the Mavericks through 2027.
“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.”
Jason Kidd Discusses Mavs’ Decision to Play Luka Doncic vs. Bulls
Doncic was the lone star to suit up in Dallas’ recent meeting with the Chicago Bulls. However, he only logged minutes in the first quarter and early in the second, before showering and changing into street clothes midway through the game.
Head coach Jason Kidd discussed the thought behind the abnormal day in the office for Doncic.
“[We wanted] to get him an ovation coming out for what he’s done this year for this franchise,” Kidd said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Ending of his normal run, he wouldn’t get the standing O. So, to be able to get him in the post, get him to score, and then for him to take a foul to come out so that people could recognize him coming out, that was the thought behind all that as we started. We told him before the game that he was going to go the whole first, and then [we would] figure out a way to get [him] a standing O and respect for what [he’s] done for this organization this year.”
