There's a hope for the Dallas Mavericks to get Luka Doncic back in 2028, but rumors say he wants to reunite with an old friend from Dallas, and that's something we don't want to hear.
Per Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, Doncic is "in favor of a P.J. Washington reunion." We assume Deveney is referring to the Lakers, because the Mavericks may be looking for a new home for Washington. The Mavericks also can't get their hands on Doncic until 2028 at the earliest, but that's still a long way away.
Here's what Deveney said when he mentioned the possible reunion.
"Doncic, we’re told, would be in favor of a Washington reunion. But Washington signed a four-year, $89 million extension last September, which starts with a $20 million cap hit for this season."
P.J. Washington rumors put the Luka Doncic-Mavericks future reunion on hold
With Naji Marshall getting a contract extension, it may have spelled the end of Washington in Dallas, but it only seems like Dallas sports fans have to be painfully OK with trading beloved players to the most hated sports teams around DFW. Cowboys fans, I'm talking about Micah Parsons here.
OK, OK, back to basketball now. For Doncic, he's been able to get former teammates around him, like Dorian Finney-Smith and Jaden Hardy. Speaking of Hardy, the ex-Maverick may be in a package to return to Dallas. There's also Quentin Grimes on his team, and the Mavericks had every excuse to go and get him, but they missed out.
He already has ex-Mavericks next to him and L.A., and he has the keys with LeBron James out to Philadelphia. He and Austin Reaves make one of the best backcourts, and as long as Doncic continues to comfortably rely on physical defenders to help him out on defense, he doesn't need to do much other than be himself.
Deveney also listed Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia as potential trade pieces. The Lakers need a true power forward, and while they still have Vanderbilt and Sandro Mamukelashvili, Washington would be a start-now power forward the Lakers could really use.
Mavericks fans will always love Doncic, and it's clear Doncic wants to come back in some capacity. NBA general managers will no doubt fight to get him, but the Mavericks will be the first team on everyone's radar.
If Masai Ujiri can somehow team up Cooper Flagg and Doncic together, it could be something the NBA has rarely seen. Two do-it-all forwards who can make plays like guards. At that point, barring any catastrophe, Flagg will be a regular All-Star and one of the best in the league.
If Washington goes to L.A., it will be a little bit more tough to get Doncic back to Dallas.
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