Report: Mavericks Were Never Going To Offer Luka Doncic Supermax Extension

According to The Athletic, the Dallas Mavericks were never going to offer Luka Doncic the NBA supermax extension. 

Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million extension with the Mavericks this summer, but the franchise traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

“Had he remained in Dallas, Dončić would have been eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract. The estimation from the outside, one that The Athletic confirmed once the trade completed, was that he wanted to re-up with the organization for the long term come July. Dončić said as much when he arrived for his introduction in Los Angeles. But there was one twist: The Mavericks were never going to offer Dončić that mega deal, league sources said. And a general manager identifying one star to trade, negotiating with only one GM he knows and trusts and targeting only one player who he’s worked with before and whose character he can vouch for — just as Nico Harrison did with Dončić, Rob Pelinka and Anthony Davis — was no accident.”

Doncic appeared in 422 games with the Mavericks. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists and made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams. 

A future Hall of Famer, Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. The Boston Celtics beat Dallas in five games. 

The Mavericks were not happy with Doncic’s weight and conditioning. During an interview with NBA reporter Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, Dallas governor Patrick Dumont insinuated that Doncic didn’t work hard. 

“If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with — [Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O’Neal] — they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win,” Dumont said. “And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks. That’s who we want. I’m unwavering on this. The entire organization knows this. This is how I operate outside of basketball. This is the only way to be competitive and win. If you want to take a vacation, don’t do it with us.”