Jazz Monitoring Luka Doncic Situation With Mavs

The Jazz are keeping a watchful eye on the situation involving star guard Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, as relayed by Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Larsen has said his sources have told him that the Jazz are waiting to see what develops between the Mavs and Doncic after a disappointment of a season. Despite trading for point guard Kyrie Irving, the Mavs failed to make the playoffs one year after advancing to the Western Conference finals.

The Jazz, of course, are armed with a bevy of draft picks, acquired by CEO Danny Ainge last summer in multiple trades.

Larsen quoted a similar reference from John Hollinger of The Athletic.

“My spies (are) telling me that Utah in particular is keeping a very interested eye on Luka Doncic’s situation,” Hollinger wrote, via Larsen.

Larsen suggested the same.

“I’ve heard similar things, for what it’s worth. I don’t have spies, but I do have sources within the Jazz organization, who say that the Jazz are keenly interested in Doncic,” Larsen wrote. “That being said, it’s also fair to say that the Jazz are ‘keeping a very interested eye’ on many stars around the league — they want to use at least some of those draft picks acquired in the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades on acquiring a star in the trade market.”

Doncic wouldn’t come cheap, of course. In fact, it’s hard to imagine the Mavs ever trading him unless he demanded to be dealt.

But if it came to that, you can be sure Dallas would receive a massive return.

“To be honest, the package for Doncic would probably be even more vast than that traded for Paul George from the Clippers,” Larsen wrote. “That deal involved five first round picks, plus two “pick swaps” that allow the Oklahoma City Thunder to essentially have control of the Clippers’ drafts from 2022 to 2026. But given that the Jazz are owed 11 draft picks through 2029, the Jazz could afford such a haul.”

Doncic, 24, signed a five-year, $215 million contract that doesn’t expire until 2027. He averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 66 games this season, shooting 50 percent from the field and 34 percent on 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, Irving will hit free agency this summer, and while he’s expected back, it still seems a bit iffy at the moment.