{"id":17921,"date":"2024-06-18T16:00:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T10:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=448774"},"modified":"2024-06-18T16:00:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T10:30:47","slug":"mavericks-face-one-big-question-to-keep-luka-doncic-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/nba\/mavericks-face-one-big-question-to-keep-luka-doncic-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mavericks face one big question to keep Luka Doncic happy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mavericks had a stellar season, but they still couldn\u2019t grasp that ever-elusive championship.<\/p>\n

When the Finals rolled around, Dallas didn\u2019t exactly put up a fight against a Boston team that ran the show. Once again, the eternal question bubbles up after another playoff heartbreak: have the Mavericks done enough to keep their star, Luka Doncic, content?<\/p>\n

With Doncic on the roster, the Mavs are always in the mix. Luka\u2019s laser-focused on a championship, so every roster move must aim at finding players who can both complement his style and push the team closer to that coveted title.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s not sound the alarms just yet about Doncic fleeing. He\u2019s locked in through the 2026-27 season, and come next summer, the Mavericks can offer him the most lucrative extension. In 2025, he\u2019s eligible for a five-year supermax deal worth a staggering $346 million, potentially the largest contract in NBA history, according to ESPN\u2019s Bobby Marks.<\/p>\n

Doncic isn\u2019t going anywhere until that supermax is inked. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving is on board for the next two seasons. The focus now shifts to bolstering the supporting cast.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the roster dilemma the front office faces.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mavericks upcoming free agents<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Mavericks aren\u2019t exactly swimming in cap space to snag any high-profile free agents this summer. Instead, they\u2019ll need to juggle their tax bill, currently projected to be $2.8 million over the cap according to Spotrac, and possibly get under it.<\/p>\n

Their starting lineup is mostly set. Doncic and Irving are the cornerstones. Trade acquisitions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford are secured through 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Derrick Jones Jr., who emerged as the team\u2019s fifth starter during the playoffs, is the wildcard. Jones Jr. blew past expectations, outperforming his $2.7 million minimum salary with solid defense, athleticism, and improved shooting.<\/p>\n

Jones Jr. is hitting free agency, and with non-Bird rights, the Mavericks can only offer him $3.3 million next year, unless they dip into their taxpayer mid-level exception, which starts at around $5 million.<\/p>\n

Given the weak 2024 free agent class, Jones Jr. might be tempted to cash in on a bigger offer elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The rest of Dallas\u2019 free agents didn\u2019t play significant roles during the regular season. Jones Jr. is the top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mavs free agents in 2024 offseason<\/span><\/caption>\n
Unrestricted<\/td>\nRestricted<\/td>\nPlayer option<\/td>\nTeam option\/non-guaranteed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Derrick Jones Jr.<\/td>\nBrandon Williams<\/td>\nNone<\/td>\nDante Exum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Markieff Morris<\/td>\nGreg Brown III<\/td>\n<\/td>\nA.J.\u00a0Lawson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mavericks future salaries, roster<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/td>\n2024-25<\/strong><\/td>\n2025-26<\/strong><\/td>\n2026-27<\/strong><\/td>\n2027-28<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Luka Doncic<\/td>\n$43,031,940<\/td>\n$45,999,660<\/td>\n$48,967,380 (PO)<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kyrie Irving<\/td>\n$41,000,000<\/td>\n$42,962,963 (PO)<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tim Hardaway Jr<\/td>\n$16,193,183<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
P.J. Washington<\/td>\n$15,500,000<\/td>\n$14,152,174<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Daniel Gafford<\/td>\n$13,394,160<\/td>\n$14,386,320<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Josh Green<\/td>\n$12,654,321<\/td>\n$13,666,667<\/td>\n$14,679,012<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maxi Kleber<\/td>\n$11,000,000<\/td>\n$11,000,000<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dereck Lively II<\/td>\n$5,014,560<\/td>\n$4,253,360 (TO)<\/td>\n$7,239,131 (TO)<\/td>\nRFA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dwight Powell<\/td>\n$4,000,000<\/td>\n$4,000,000 (PO)<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dante Exum<\/td>\n$3,150,000 (NG)<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Olivier-Maxence Prosper<\/td>\n$2,870,400<\/td>\n$3,007,080 (TO)<\/td>\n$5,259,383 (TO)<\/td>\nRFA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A.J. Lawson<\/td>\n$2,120,683 (NG)<\/td>\n$2,401,587 (NG)<\/td>\n$2,489,752 (NG)<\/td>\nUFA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jaden Hardy<\/td>\n$2,019,699<\/td>\nRFA<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

PO<\/strong>\u00a0= Player option<\/p>\n

TO<\/strong>\u00a0= Team option<\/p>\n

NG<\/strong>\u00a0= Non-guaranteed<\/p>\n

UFA<\/strong>\u00a0= Unrestricted free agent<\/p>\n

RFA\u00a0<\/strong>= Restricted free agent<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mavericks 2024 NBA Draft picks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First round<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • None<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Second round<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • No. 58 pick (via Boston)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The Mavericks had a stellar season, but they still couldn\u2019t grasp that ever-elusive championship. When the Finals rolled around, Dallas\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":38663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2837,3857,826],"class_list":["post-17921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-luka-doncic","tag-mavericks","tag-nba"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}