What Mavs Strong Offseason Means for Luka Doncic Dallas Future
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has, for the most part, avoided being a part of many headlines this offseason, and he wouldn't have it any other way. The four-time All-NBA First Teamer is always respectful and accommodating when it comes to media availabilities during the season, but when the offseason arrives, he's ready to completely disappear for a couple of months.
Aside from proposing to his longtime girlfriend Anamaria Goltes a few weeks ago, Doncic has escaped the spotlight for most of the summer, and that speaks to excellent job GM Nico Harrison, owner Mark Cuban and the rest of the Mavs' front office has done so far with roster moves through the draft, free agency and trades. That's not to say the Dallas front office's job is finished, but overall, the Mavs have been efficient and have made the most of what they've had to work with.
At last season's end, when the Mavs finished with a 38-44 record and missed the postseason for the first time since Doncic's rookie season, Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd both hinted at big changes coming this offseason, and they weren't bluffing. The Mavs have an influx of new talent coming in from all different areas, including former Boston Celtics 3-and-D wing Grant Williams, first-round rookies Dereck Lively II and OMax Prosper, Seth Curry, Dante Exum and Richaun Holmes.
And although he wasn't a new addition, re-signing Kyrie Irving, which was the team's biggest goal this summer, is a big deal as well – not only because of the assets the Mavs traded to get Irving, but also because Doncic pushed for the trade and the re-signing. Irving was the top free agent on the market, and he’ll be given a chance to start fresh with Doncic after having a full offseason with the Mavs.
Doncic usually plays the game with an abundance of joy, but last season, that joy was lacking due to a number of reasons, with the Mavs just simply not being a good team being one of them. And although this is merely speculation on our part, as Doncic never mentioned it directly, we have to believe his legal dispute with mother over a trademark issue — which was finally resolved in January — weighed heavily on his shoulders for a good portion of last season as well.
“It’s really frustrating. I think you can see it with me on the court," Doncic said in late-March as the Mavs continued to plummet in the Western Conference standings. "Sometimes I don't feel it’s me. I'm just being out there, you know? I used to have really fun smiling on court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”
Those comments sparked rampant speculation that Doncic might request a trade from the Mavs in the near future, and although Cuban told the media in April that the franchise has "got to earn" the 24-year-old's long-term commitment, Doncic did his best to extinguish any worries Mavs fans might have.
"I saw the report," Doncic said, referring to an article written by ESPN's Tim MacMahon, which stated that the Mavs feared their superstar's frustration could lead to him requesting a trade as soon as summer of 2024. "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. I'm happy here. There's nothing to worry [about]."
Although those comments from Doncic seemed genuine, the Mavs front office couldn't afford to operate as if it knew for sure he'd stay in Dallas no matter what. The aggression level was turned up a few notches this offseason, and it started during the NBA Draft, as the Mavs turned their No. 10 pick – the pick they tanked only two games for, yet received league-wide criticism – into the No. 12 and No. 24 picks, which ended up being Lively and Prosper, as well as absorbing Holmes from the Sacramento Kings with a trade exception created from sending Dāvis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And then, of course, you have the other additions that have already been listed above, including Curry on a two-year, team-friendly deal worth $4 million annually with the second year non-guaranteed, Exum on a vet minimum ‘prove it’ deal, and Williams, via sign-and-trade, on a four-year, $54 million contract that looks like a steal compared to some of the other deals that were flying around this summer — Dillon Brooks signing with the Houston Rockets for four-years, $86 million, for example.
When you have a generational player like Doncic, you don’t have to hit home runs every summer. Singles and doubles are perfectly acceptable, because Doncic can make the most out of those type of moves. What the Mavs can’t afford, though, is striking out complete, which has happened far too often in previous years.
This summer felt like a turning of the tide, though, as the Mavs made calculated moves to improve on the margins while also investing in one of the deepest draft classes we’ve seen in recent memory — something we didn’t think was a real possibility in early-February. Even if the best-case scenarios for all the Mavs’ moves don’t pan out, the process of how they made those moves is what should have fans excited for the future.
When trade speculation got out of hand with Giannis Antetokounmpo a few years back, the Milwaukee Bucks made a series of moves that ultimately led to him signing his second extension with the team. The Bucks’ proactiveness and Antetokounmpo’s loyal paid off soon after, as they won the 2021 NBA championship.
Last summer, despite several disappointing early playoff exits in previous seasons, Nikola Jokic signed his second extension with the Denver Nuggets, and they went on to win this year’s title.
Although many people on the outside looking in will continue to push the narrative that Doncic might request a trade in the near future, the fact of the matter is that he wants to win a championship, and he wants to do that with the Dallas Mavericks — just like Antetokounmpo and Jokic wanted to do with the teams that drafted them. As long as Doncic feels like his bosses are giving him a good chance to accomplish that goal, our bet is that he’ll stick around for a long time to come.
Harrison, Cuban and company have done just that. They’ve now given Doncic a chance by upgrading the Mavs’ roster. Just like when Doncic told everyone not to worry in April, though, the Mavs won’t sit down and be content with what they’ve accomplished. More moves are sure to come, and they’ll be made with the same mindset of doing right by their young superstar who has yet to reach his prime.
“To fans that are frustrated, they should be frustrated. This year was not acceptable,” Harrison said before the offseason began. “I feel for them, and the only confidence I can give them is we’re going to evaluate everything, and we’re not going to be in this position again.”
How much better the Mavs will actually be next season has yet to be seen, but the overall level of talent has improved, the roster has gotten younger, and the ceiling for what they could become has been extended. The moves Dallas made have been enough to vault them into having top-10 championship odds for next season, so take that for what it’s worth.
All things considered, Doncic should have a less-stressful time during the 2023-24 season than he last year, and that bodes well for his long-term future with the Mavs.
