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Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic seemed to be swayed by the contingent of the team’s brass that made their way to his home country of Slovenia on Monday.
In discussions about a contract extension with the Mavericks, Doncic has now officially signed on the dotted line. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal is for $207 million over five seasons. This now represents the largest designated rookie max extension in NBA history.
“A contingent of the franchise’s leaders landed in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Monday to formally present Doncic and Duffy with the contract, including Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison, coach Jason Kidd, assistant general manager Michael Finley, special advisor Dirk Nowitzki and director of player health and performance Casey Smith,” the NBA insider noted.
Doncic, 22, became eligible for the super-max extension after earning All-NBA first-team honors twice in his first three NBA seasons. The star guard is averaging 25.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists throughout his young career.
Click here to find out where Luka Doncic stands in our NBA player rankings
From a financial perspective, Doncic also made sure to note that he’s going to use some of his new-found fortune to help those in need.
“Along with this new contract, I am also happy to announce that I am increasing my efforts and focusing on expanding The Luka Dončić Foundation,” Doncic said in a statement. “My foundation is an international non-profit that will give back to places that mean so much to me like my home country of Slovenia, as well as the communities in North Texas.”
What the Luka Doncic contract extension means for the Dallas Mavericks
Now that Dallas has its star guard locked up, the goal for new general manager Nico Harrison will be to build a better supporting cast behind him. To an extent, that’s already been accomplished this summer by the acquisitions of Reggie Bullock, Sterling Brown and Moses Brown.
Despite Doncic’s brilliance last season, Dallas fell in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs to the Los Angeles Clippers. This led to the departure of the longtime head-coach, general manager combo in that of Rick Carlisle and Donnie Nelson.
At the very least, having Luka Doncic locked up over the long-term gives Dallas’ some sense of direction under the new guard.