This season has not gone according to plan for the Dallas Mavericks, who are 11th in the West with a 37-42 record. Things are so bad now that some are even calling for the Mavs to shut down their star duo for the remainder of the season.
In a recent media interview, however, the Mavericks superstar shut down that notion and confirmed that he will be playing as long as the Mavericks have a chance to make the playoffs.
“I’m playing tomorrow. When there’s still a chance, I’m going to play.”
Luka Doncic: “I’m playing tomorrow. When there’s still a chance, I’m going to play.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 4, 2023
The Thunder are just one game ahead of Dallas in the standings with a few games to go, so the season is not yet over for Luka. If they fail to win against the Kings tomorrow, however, it could be the final nail in the coffin for their playoff hopes.
The Mavericks Face An Uncertain Future
No matter how their season ends, the Mavericks could be in store for some serious changes this offseason — and it could start with Kyrie Irving.
He is an unrestricted free agent after this season and could leave Luka alone with no help at all on the roster. Fortunately, there are rumblings that he wants to stay, and he is already talking about a long-term vision.
“I think their realistic view is that when I came here, that this was going to be a growing process,” said Irving. “This was for the long term, and this is for something that’s bigger than ourselves, and we can’t just be a championship team overnight, especially me coming here. I’ve wrapped my head around that aspect of it. I’m at peace with it. It doesn’t mean I’m giving up on this season or any of my teammates, but we know where we realistically are. Our destiny is in other teams hands losing games so we just have to control what we can.”
If Kyrie leaves in free agency, the Mavericks are practically doomed when it comes to building a competent roster around Luka. Even if Irving re-signs, it’s not going to be easy to bring in the right players around them.
For now, however, all eyes are on the mission at hand, and every player must be completely locked-in if the team wants any hope of salvaging this disaster.
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