Dallas Mavericks: Are the Mavs pushing Luka Doncic out the door?

The Dallas Mavericks choked away a brilliant opportunity when they went up 2-0 on the road against the higher seeded Los Angeles Clippers. They defied odds with their collapse and took Mavs fans on postseason emotional rollercoaster.

One-upping such a terrible chapter in The Book of Mavs wouldn’t be easy, yet here we are – massively disappointed once again. This time, it’s news out of the front office that’s set the new low.

The Dallas Mavericks seem to be doing the worst thing possible for their franchise

According to Tim Cato and Sam Amick at the Athletic, a rift has been growing between the Dallas Mavericks front office and their most valuable asset, Luka Doncic.

Per that report, Doncic and Mark Cuban’s top analytics guru, Haralabos Voulgaris, are not the best of friends. Voulgaris, referred to as Cuban’s “Shadow GM” has been pulling strings behind the scenes since 2018. And he appears to be getting on Luka Doncic’s last nerve as well.

Keeping Doncic happy and in the city of Dallas is “Objective A” today and every other day.

Through analytic models, Voulgaris has made millions gambling on the NBA. Playing odds and tendencies was his hallmark and he turned it into multiple positions within the NBA.

In 2018, Mark Cuban hired him to a seemingly undefined role that knew no bounds. With the ear of Cuban, Voulgaris appears to be as much of this Dallas Mavericks franchise as just about anyone not named “Mark Cuban.”

That’s bad news when you have a generational superstar to appease.

There’s no doubt, Luka Doncic is going to sign his extension this summer to stay in Dallas. The financial incentives make it a no-brainer. But the deal after that is when discontent superstars tend to do their “leavin.”

To me and many others in Mavs Nation, winning now only takes the backseat to one thing – keeping Luka happy. Luka is the kind of talent that can lead a team to multiple championships. Keeping him happy and in the city of Dallas is Objective A today and every other day.

That’s why the somewhat cold relationship between Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis and Doncic and Rick Carlisle is worth monitoring. If Luka doesn’t want to play for Rick then it’s time to consider other options. If Luka doesn’t want to play with KP, then it’s time to consider moving him.

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Luka Doncic doesn’t need to be calling the shots, but he needs to be given input and that input better be seriously considered because he could be leaving for greener pastures in a few short years.

It may sound like Doncic has a problem with everyone, but let’s be clear, all of the three gentlemen named have had their share of friction with other people. This isn’t Luka fighting with Betty White or anything, it’s him having a trouble with people who are notoriously thorny from time to time.

The situation in the front office sounds as if it’s borderline toxic right now. Haralabos Voulgaris is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way (Read the article for more details) and seems to be the source of much discontentment across many ranks.

The Dallas Mavericks need to keep their eyes on the prize and make no mistake – Luka Doncic is the prize. They need to be focused on building an attractive work environment for their superstar and that starts with how they allow their front office to operate.

• Published on 06/14/2021 at 20:10 PM
• Last updated at 06/14/2021 at 20:10 PM