Getty Luka Doncic defended by Kawhi Leonard.
Despite only being only 22-years-old, Luka Doncic is building up quite the resume. He was just named first-team All-NBA for the second time in his first three seasons and almost single-handedly beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. With the young guard eligible for a supermax contract extension this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks aren’t likely to lose him anytime soon.
However, things have gotten a lot more interesting in recent days. Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic dropped a report on Monday that detailed a possible “rift” growing between Dallas and Doncic. It stems from the superstar having issues with team employee Haralabos Voulgaris. Considering this information is brand new to the public, it’s hard to know if Doncic is already aiming to get out of Dallas.
If that was the case, he’d be one of the most sought-after players in NBA history. There isn’t a single team in the league that wouldn’t be vying for his services. Whenever a superstar player is rumored to be disgruntled, the Los Angeles Lakers are the main team that starts getting talked about.
As soon as The Athletic report dropped fans started speculating that he couldn’t be headed to Los Angeles in the near future.
How Luka walking into the Lakers facility in 2022
Luka to the Lakers confirmed
Some even started to recruit the guard.
Luka, you know who doesn’t employ Voulgaris? The Lakers
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Doncic Won’t Be Available for a While
Even if Doncic isn’t happy with the Mavericks, he’s not likely to turn down the $200-plus million supermax extension he just became eligible for. If he went elsewhere, he can’t make anywhere close to that money. The contract will likely be for five years so Dallas still has a lot of time to fix things before Doncic has much leverage.
Also, it’s hard to imagine one team employee is worth losing a generational talent. Now that the tension between Doncic and Voulgaris has become public, owner Mark Cuban can fix the situation as he sees fit. In the end, he’s going to work really hard to keep his best player happy. Doncic could always take a huge pay cut and refuse to re-sign with the Mavericks this offseason but there’s almost no way that’s going to happen.
Lakers Should Be Monitoring Situation Closely
Regardless of what Doncic decides to do this offseason, the Lakers need to be keeping a close eye. LeBron James will be turning 37 during next season and he could start declining soon. If Anthony Davis can stay healthy, he should have several more years as one of the best players in the NBA.
The Lakers have admitted in the past that they’d like to have a young star to pair with Davis for years to come. There might not be a better player for them to target than Doncic. He could be the best player in the entire league within the next few years. It won’t be easy to pull him away from the Mavericks as they have a history of keeping their superstar happy. That said, a few more first-round playoff losses and more tension with Voulgaris could open up a major opportunity for the purple and gold in the future.
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