Dennis Smith Jr., who was drafted as the 9th pick by the Dallas Mavericks in 2017, had a great rookie year, averaging 15.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 69 games. The guard was steadily establishing himself at the franchise when the Mavs brought in Luka Doncic the following year. Things took a nosedive for Smith Jr. from then on, as he was not just sidelined, but “threatened” to be traded by Dallas.
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Smith Jr. revealed how the change came out of the blue. One day, the offense was running through him, and the next day he became the “secondary guy”. He did not get to complete a full season alongside Doncic.
The 26-year-old said the trade talks, or as he puts it, the threats, began even before the Mavs signed Doncic.
“They threatened to trade me. Like, I got threatened, ‘Yeah, we haven’t mentioned about trading you yet’. I was like, ‘Where’s that coming from?’ That was in the summer league,” said Smith on the Run Your Race podcast.
Smith Jr. said he did not want to beg the Mavs to keep him around. He measured the situation objectively, and realized that his time in Dallas was coming to an end.
Looking back, the Mavericks might have some regrets about how they handled the trade. But they certainly would be happy with the result. The player that the Mavs pushed for in place of Smith Jr. is now one of the best in the league.
Smith Jr. knew Doncic was going to be great
Even though he was feeling bitter at being sidelined at the time, Smith Jr. knew Doncic was a class act. “I kind of did, bro. I ain’t going to lie. Bro, I swear to god, he is nice, bro. Like, he is cold,” he told the podcast host.
He went on to add that Doncic has surpassed everyone’s expectations, including his.
The 26-year-old said, “He’s damn near the best player in the world. He’s up there. I ain’t know he was going to be this cold.”
Smith Jr. outlined the reason why Doncic is so impressive, revealing that all of his awe-inspiring moves are mastered through relentless drills at practice.
Luka has led the Mavs to an NBA final and two Western Conference Finals in his years with them. While the team is yet to taste the ultimate success, many believe it’s only a matter of time before the Slovenian makes it happen.
