Luka Doncic has been a superstar in the NBA since the day he stepped foot into the league, having one of the most impressive rookie seasons in modern history before becoming an MVP candidate as a sophomore.
Luka has led the Dallas Mavericks to great heights but was caught in a tough situation last season as poor roster moves ruined their season. As a result, Stephen A. Smith says Luka is likely to ask for a trade if the Mavs struggle for another season.
“I believe that if the Dallas Mavericks struggle this year, Luka Doncic will ask out of Dallas. That’s not insider information, that’s just my opinion. He’ll ask out if they continue to struggle because the West has gotten stronger.”
Smith was also cautious about how a failed partnership with Kyrie Irving could affect Doncic given Dallas lost his complementary co-star in Jalen Brunson last year.
“For Dallas to miss out on Jalen Brunson and then bring Kyrie up in there. If Luka and Kyrie doesn’t work, I think he’ll ask out. The likelihood of him asking out is significantly higher than [Joel] Embiid asking out of Philly.”
"I believe that if the Dallas Mavericks struggle this year, Luka Doncic will ask out of Dallas… That's just my opinion… the likelihood of him asking out is significantly higher than [Joel] Embiid asking out of Philly."
— Stephen A. Smithpic.twitter.com/UcHrmRjVpu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 7, 2023
Doncic saw an incredible individual season go to waste, as he averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists or the Mavs to be the 11th seed. He single-handedly kept Dallas as a top-four seed until February before the Kyrie trade, along with other factors such as health, torpedoed the team.
Are The Mavericks In Danger Of Losing Luka Doncic?
When it comes to superstars, lack of success defines their careers if they can never break through for a title. Look at Damian Lillard doing everything in his power to get traded to a team that just went to the NBA Finals, success is paramount in this league. If the Mavs can’t give Doncic a competitive framework, he is definitely going to want out sooner rather than later.
The Mavs have made strong moves this summer to reset their roster to align with Luka’s timeline. They have gotten younger by adding two rookies, acquiring 24-year-old Grant Williams, and keeping Jaden Hardy and Josh Green safe from trade talks. They still have more moves ahead with possible trades involving Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee.
The Mavericks have made an earnest effort to mitigate the damage from poor team building in the past years. Whether it’s enough to satisfy Luka is something we’ll find out when the team hits the floor together in the fall.
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