[brid autoplay=”true” video=”793678″ player=”23231″ title=”Manno%20A%20Mano%20A%20Conversation%20with%20Chris%20Mannix” duration=”984″ description=”Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated joins Carolyn Manno to discuss the latest NBA headlines. ” uploaddate=”2021-06-03″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/793678_t_1622738370.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/793678.mp4″]
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is coming off one of the greatest three-year runs to start an NBA career in the history of the association.
The 22-year-old Slovenian just finished up shop on a seven-game first-round playoff series loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that saw him average 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists. Those are some otherworldly numbers.
They also represent one of the many reasons Dallas is going to offer Doncic a rookie level max contract extension this summer. The team would be insane not to lock him up for another few seasons.
In his season-ending presser on Monday, Doncic pretty much confirmed that he will sign said extension once it is officially offered to him.
Based on incentives, Doncic is looking at upwards of $200 million over five years. The total value will not be determined until the 2022-23 NBA salary cap is set. That’s no small thing with a huge TV contract on the horizon and the revenue increase the Association is expected to see post-COVID.
Luka Doncic’s amazing performance and the Dallas Mavericks’ future
First off, it’s not a surprise to see young players on their rookie deals jump at the idea of receiving a max contract extension. For comparison’s sake, Doncic is earning $8.12 million annually on his current rookie deal.
The larger question here for Dallas is the future of the organization. These Mavericks have not won a playoff series since 2011. It became evident during their first-round playoff series loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that Kristaps Porzingis is not that No. 2 star to team up with Doncic. How owner Mark Cuban and Co. navigate this offseason will be telling moving forward.
For his part, Doncic is already among the top-five players in the entire NBA. Since the start of his sophomore campaign in 2019-20, the dude has put up some absolutely amazing numbers.
Luka Doncic stats
- 2019-20: 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 46% shooting
- 2020-21: 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 48% shooting
This past season saw Doncic increase his three-point percentage from 32 to 36. It’s just a continuation of his game evolving at a high level. That’s been magnified even further in the playoffs with the youngster averaging 33.5 points to go with 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 13 career postseason games.
Now that Luka Doncic is ready to commit to the Mavericks long-term, it’s time for them to do everything possible to build a championship core around. That obviously wasn’t the case this past season.