Current Record/Standing: 20-15, 7th in the West
The Mavs may not carry the championship expectations of some of the other teams on this list, but the clock is certainly ticking on Luka Dončić's future in Dallas. Currently residing in the Western Conference play-in tournament, the Mavericks simply can't afford to miss the playoffs for a second straight season.
Dončić has just two guaranteed seasons remaining on his contract after this year, with unrestricted free agency looming in 2026. Of course, a trade request can come at any time from superstars, no matter how far off free agency may be.
With Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Stephen Curry and some of the game's other top stars all seemingly happy in their current situations, Dončić will be the player all other teams will be monitoring if Dallas doesn't make some significant upgrades.
While the Mavs were aggressive enough to trade for Kyrie Irving at the deadline last season, even this hasn't been enough. Lineups with Dončić and Irving still carry a fairly modest net rating of plus-4.3, with their most-used five of Dončić, Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., Grant Williams and rookie Dereck Lively II actually being beaten overall this season (minus-2.8 net rating in 219 total possessions).
Dončić is good enough to rescue the Mavs on most nights with his incredible scoring and playmaking ability. Irving is still a capable No. 2 option, although injuries and now age (he'll turn 32 in March) are beginning to factor in.
Dallas can still trade one unprotected first-round pick (2027) and has some interesting prospects at their disposal (Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, Olivier-Maxence Prosper) even if they wish to keep Lively off limits.
The Mavericks probably won't actually win the 2024 title no matter what they do, but this is a franchise that needs to prove to Dončić that it's headed in the right direction.
"trade" - Google News
January 06, 2024 at 07:04PM
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NBA Teams That Must Go All-In Before 2024 Trade Deadline - Bleacher Report
"trade" - Google News
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