Luka Doncic thinks the Dallas Mavericks have made some solid moves during this NBA offseason.
The front office re-signed Kyrie Irving and Dwight Powell, signed Seth Curry and Dante Exum and acquired Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics in a sign-and-trade deal.
“I’m with the [Slovenian] national team now, so I don’t think about that, but Dallas is taking good steps,” Doncic said, according to a July 29 story in BasketNews. “We can still sign someone, or maybe not.”
The Mavericks won only 38 games last season, finishing in 11th place in the conference and failing to even qualify for the play-in tournament after making the Western Conference finals in 2022.
When Dallas traded for Irving in February, they were 29-26, but in the 16 games that Doncic and Irving played in together, Dallas went 5-11, a .313 winning percentage. Since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77, that was the worst winning percentage for a pair of teammates who were both All-Stars, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Doncic signed a five-year, $215.2 million designated rookie contract extension with the Mavericks in August 2021. The four-time All-Star averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists last season while shooting 49.6% from the field, 34.2% from beyond the arc and 74.2% from the free-throw line. Doncic recorded 36 double-doubles and 10 triple-doubles in 66 games.
Mavericks Spoke With Luka Doncic About His Weight: Report
The Mavericks have talked with Doncic about decreasing his preferred playing weight this summer, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic.
Doncic, 24, was listed at 230 pounds last season. He is 6-foot-7.
“The Mavericks’ key figures have talked to Doncic about decreasing his preferred playing weight this summer,” Cato wrote. “Doncic also stopped having fun for long stretches of the past two seasons, the first time in his life I think that’s ever been true for the sport he’s devoted his life to.
“Those factors, along with his extended summer to rest and recuperate, make me believe we’ll see Doncic more dedicated to the marathon of the NBA season this coming year. I absolutely believe he’ll start next season looking as good as he’s ever been.”
Doncic has career averages of 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists with the Mavericks.
Mavericks Want Hawks’ Clint Capela: Report
The Mavericks “would love” to acquire Clint Capela from the Atlanta Hawks, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
Capela is on the trade block, according to Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, and the Mavericks are very interested in pairing the center with Doncic and Irving.
“The Mavericks don’t want to be done,” Stein said on his podcast. “Maybe they are done with this roster because further moves are not available to them. They would love it if the chance to make another trade run at Clint Capela from the Atlanta Hawks materializes to this point. That opportunity has not availed itself to the Mavericks.
“But will Atlanta move Capela elsewhere which creates an opportunity for Dallas to try to get in as a third team? Or would they trade him somewhere to a team that really only needs him for contract purposes, salary cap matching purposes in the trade, and then that team makes Capela available?”
Capela averaged 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds last season for the Hawks while shooting 65.3% from the field. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $45.5 million contract extension with Atlanta in September 2021.
Capela, who began his NBA career with the Houston Rockets, will make $20.6 million next season. The veteran has career averages of 12.4 points and 10.7 rebounds with the Rockets and Hawks.
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Luka Doncic Breaks Silence on Mavericks’ Offseason Moves