The debacle of the Dallas Mavericks after the trade deadline to make the 2023 NBA Playoffs is clear and apparent. As their season came to an end, they literally started sitting their starters toward the end. Head Coach Jason Kidd came out and said to the media, he was told to sit out his star players in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
It’s fair to say for once that this isn’t Kyrie Irving’s fault and he didn’t ruin the season. It just seems like wherever he goes, the energy shifts but neither here nor there. But the Dallas Mavericks management team has to make a decision on Kyrie Irving’s new contract.
The sad reality is Kyrie has more leverage than we think. Dallas gave up plenty of players to get him at the trade deadline back in February. There’s the all-important question, “Will Irving get a max deal with the Mavericks?” I’m not one to be in someone’s pockets and what I deem they’re worth but I’ll keep it 100.
I think Kyrie will get close to what he’s looking for financially. This will be his last big contract and it’s why he’s trying to cash in on this opportunity. Most teams don’t have the money to sign him and the ones that do (San Antonio, Houston, Orlando) are not necessarily title contending teams and Irving wouldn’t be the greatest for rebuilding teams.
Honestly, I can see Irving’s contract being 3-4 years with their being team options in the 4th or 5th year. Somehow, I feel he will get over $200 million dollars along with contractual stipulations on games played and other things. It’s not necessarily if he deserves his contract, it’s what the market is dictating, the state of the NBA, free agency, the NBA Draft and what the salary cap will be going into the summer.
Next, let’s address the elephant in the room…defense. Part of this comes down to players, the other, coaching. Coach Kidd has done a solid job in Dallas, but there are other things that concern me about him and I will address that as this article moves along.
The Dallas Mavericks were in the bottom ten teams of defensive categories this season and if this team has any intention of competing for an NBA championship, they must address this through trades. No one is going to the Dallas Mavericks as a main option for teams in free agency, let’s be honest here. The team and the facilities might be great, owner Mark Cuban may roll out the red carpet, but most guys are going to teams where they can compete.
When you look at the 2011 championship team, they had all of the right guys. Defenders (Jason Kidd-perimeter, Shawn Marion-can guard 1 through 5, Tyson Chandler-the anchor in the lane and best rebounder on that team), Shooting (Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Novak), Role Players who score (Jason Terry, Caron Butler), Star Power (Dirk Nowitzki) and leadership (Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler).
That team had all of the right players needed to win a championship and when you look at the team assembled, there are a lot of loopholes. While Dirk wasn’t the best defender, he did make an effort and there were players that covered Dirk’s lack of defensive ability. This year’s current team only had Dorian Finney-Smith as a legitimate defender until they traded him.
Next, Luka Doncic struggles playing without the ball in his hands. As a star player in the NBA, most players who have won championships, have the ability to play without the ball (Stephen Curry, LeBron James, etc.). Luka has to learn to play without the ball and be a factor in Dallas’ offense besides pounding the basketball on the hardwood night after night. Luka will also need to lose some weight so he can maintain an 82 game season because by the time he hits game 60, you can see he’s physically and mentally drained.
Dallas does have some solid pieces in Tim Hardaway Jr (who needs to become more consistent on both ends of the floor), Christian Wood (who is actually a stretch 4 and not a 5 at all), and Dallas management needs to reload the roster with guys who can create off the dribble and can rebound.
Lastly, Coach Kidd needs to revamp the offense to more motion. It’s bad enough a lot of teams have isolation plays for the star players, drive and kick for threes. The offense is too basic, generic and needs movement in order for there to be more efficiency and less predictability.
Also, you need to keep quiet on what your bosses tell you. You’re costing your big boss $750,000 in fines because of your comments in trying to tank. It wasn’t the smartest move so hopefully you’re able to protect your draft pick that could potentially go to the New York Knicks in another bad trade you did a few years ago in acquiring Kristaps Porzingis.
There are some major decisions to be made in the coming weeks. I hope that Dallas makes the right ones or Luka Doncic may be leaving town when his contract is done or he will be looking to be traded to another team.
Time will tell the journey of a team that has gone from overachieving in 2022 to underachieving in 2023…
