Shocking details about possible exit of Luka Doncic Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks are currently on a three-game winning streak, which helped cut their record above .500, to 13-11. After advancing to the Western Conference Finals last season, this wasn’t the start many people expected from the Mavericks, especially when you consider NBA superstar Luka Doncic’s historic start.

Doncic scored more than 30 points in the first nine games of the season, becoming the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to achieve the feat in NBA history. Dallas went 6-3 during that stretch, but followed that stretch by losing seven of their next 10 games.

Expecting Doncic to continue playing at that level was an impossible task. Even head coach Jason Kidd said he would be ready before Christmas, which is pretty much what happened. Without superhuman efforts from their best player, the Mavericks have struggled to win games.

Could that lead to major changes in the future? While appearing on The hoops collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim McMahon shared his thoughts on what could happen between Doncic and Dallas in the future. While McMahon doesn’t predict he will leave, he believes the Mavericks will be in a similar situation to what the Milwaukee Bucks just went through with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“I think they have a two-year window. This season and next season will go into that [2024] summer. I think they have a two year window where, you know, like Milwaukee did with Giannis [Antetokounmpo], I think in that window they really need to convince Luka that he has a chance to compete year in and year out here in Dallas. If they don’t get it done in that two year window, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that he’s going to force a trade or ask for a trade. I’m just saying that if he’s not happy, he’s got all the leverage in the world when he’s looking for a leave of absence.”

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There were a lot of rumors that Antetokounmpo would like to leave Milwaukee when his contract expired. But the team went on to win the NBA championship in 2021, putting all that speculation to rest as the Greek Freak signed a supermax extension to stay with the franchise.

The Bucks showed Antetokounmpo that they could build a sustained winner around him. Milwaukee has once again got off to an excellent start to the season, going 18-6, despite Khris Middleton making his debut last week. Can Dallas achieve the same with Doncic? That remains to be seen, but there is no indication that Doncic wants to leave the organization.

“I’m not going to pretend to know his innermost thoughts either, but of course I’m around this team regularly. I know people who know Luka well. I don’t think Luka will look for reasons to leave. would be very happy to spend his entire career in Dallas, but if he doesn’t have to look for reasons and they punch him in the face, then that’s a problem.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Luka Doncic & Dallas Mavericks Updates

“He’s also a ruthless competitor, which means he likes to win. He is used to winning. He won championships with Real Madrid. He won a EuroBasket championship with the Slovenian national team. He also hates losing. Like, can’t handle it. Whether it’s cards, ping pong, but especially NBA games.”

The Mavericks certainly gained some last season, but they don’t have the look of a team that, at least right now, won’t be as successful. There are some issues to be resolved with the rotation, especially in the frontcourt, where Christian Wood’s role is undefined.

However, upgrading the roster this season will come with some hurdles. As McMahon also noted, the Mavericks do not own their 2023 first round pick. That pick is owned by the New York Knicks of the Kristaps Porzingis trade and is top-10 protected.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Luka Doncic & Dallas Mavericks Updates

It is very difficult to execute a trade with draw capital until that pick transfers, which is why Dallas currently doesn’t have many routes to upgrade the selection.

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