A year after reaching the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks fell short of the postseason, finishing with more losses than wins. Unlike many teams who struggle from one year to the next, the Mavericks didn’t suffer an injury to their superstar, with Luka Doncic able to suit up for 66 games, where he was an MVP candidate for much of the year.
But as the season went on, with losses mounting following the team’s decision to trade for Kyrie Irving, the frustrations only grew. Especially so for Doncic.
The three-time All-NBA member even opened up about his disappointment when he admitted to never being more frustrated in his professional basketball career back in late March.
Now that the Mavericks have not only missed the postseason but didn’t even qualify as one of the top ten teams in the West, the uncertainty and frustrations have to be at an all-time high.
Doncic is under contract through the 2025-26 season, and he has a player option for 2027, but there’s a sense, even a “fear,” that the Slovenian could leave town much sooner if the competitive outlook in Dallas doesn’t rapidly improve.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, multiple team sources have “acknowledged that fear exists that Doncic could consider requesting a trade as soon as 2024.” Even team owner Mark Cuban recently admitted, “We have to earn” Doncic’s trust when it comes to keeping the 24-year-old phenom in a Mavericks uniform
Obviously, if Doncic were to go public with a trade request, the line of teams with interest would likely be much longer than the list of organizations that wouldn’t. For now, he appears firmly entrenched as the face of the franchise, but for the first time ever, the questions about his long-time future in Dallas have to be a strong concern for the Mavericks.
Related: NBA source: Dallas Mavericks shouldn’t have a problem retaining Kyrie Irving in free agency