Luka Doncic may have reached his breaking point and things aren’t going too smoothly for the former Western Conference runner-ups. Over this past season, the Dallas Mavericks have been in and out of playoff contention, and at one point they were among the top teams in their division. The Slovenian superstar definitely seemed like he was on his way to making another deep playoff run, but all hopes vanished post-trade deadline.
Ever since trading for Kyrie Irving, Dallas has lost more than a dozen games. The one thing they lacked during these losses was defense. As Luka Doncic’s future with the Mavs remains uncertain, Jason Kidd believes this is just a setback before their comeback. He said, “Decisions sometimes are hard in this business, and you have to make hard decisions. We’re trying to build a championship team, and sometimes you got to take a step back. Understanding with this decision, this is maybe a step back, but hopefully it leads to going forward.”
Mark Cuban also weighed in on the rumors, saying the Mavericks plan on having Doncic play with them long-term. However, according to him, Dallas needs to earn that right. Luka Doncic on the other hand, has expressed his feelings about losing past teammates in trades, which is quite concerning. Kyrie has been playing well and doing this part the right way, but the situation will not work out without proper pieces placed around this offensively dominant team.
Will Luka Doncic head East and reunite with Jalen Brunson?
Luka Doncic’s plans remain unknown to the entire world. But his recent comments about former teammate Jalen Brunson showed that he is extremely unhappy about the Mavs’ situation right now. In other words, considering how well the New York Knicks have played this season, they would not have done it without Brunson. The Knicks clinched their playoff position at the fifth seed with 47 wins and 34 losses.
Luka on how much he misses Jalen Brunson
“A lot…” 😅
(via @KevinGraySports)pic.twitter.com/NDfaqNM4wp
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 4, 2023
Doncic to the Knicks would instantly create a championship contender. With veteran Derrick Rose as a mentor on the side, both Brunson and Doncic would work wonders in the East. Even though the acquisition seems very fat fetched, it is still a possibility in the future.
The Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat are potential trade destinations
The Brooklyn Nets are a good contender to acquire Luka Doncic if a trade were to go down. To begin with, his former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith is also part of the Nets. Besides that, Brooklyn already has a set of great defenders in Nic Claxton and Mikal Bridges. Cam Johnson is also a very good defender and is very reliable while shooting the three ball. With great support like them, Luka will thrive in the East.
Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler at the Miami Open 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Og9qWq4si1
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 1, 2023
The other destination is Miami. Recently, before the Mavericks went up against the Miami Heat, both Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler were seen together at a tennis tournament. Now, even though the sighting was probably because of the game they had that night, it seems oddly ironic that both stars were there at the same time. The Heat is already known as one of the best defensive teams in the league and the addition of Doncic’s 32 points per game will be a perfect weapon created.