The Dallas Mavericks played their final regular season game today. Taking on the San Antonio Spurs, the Mavericks continued their tragedy which had struck them since the All-Star break. Since the Mavs were eliminated from playoff/play-in contention, they decided to rest Luka Doncic today. Without Doncic, the Spurs came into Dallas and beat the Mavs 139-117.
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With this loss, the Mavericks finished their season, losing 15 out of their last 20 games. Coming into the offseason, the ‘tank-job’ helped them save their Top-10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. At the same time, Kyrie Irving is becoming a free agent this off-season. Luka Doncic spoke to the media for the final press conference of the season.
He talked about Kyrie and recruiting him for the next season, addressed his trade rumors, and more.
Luka Doncic mocks trade rumors
Even after the Dallas Mavericks got eliminated from the playoff race, this latest press conference will help them put their mind a bit at ease. Luka Doncic is a generational talent, and for him to talk about helping the team keep Kyrie Irving is a great sign. After that, he addressed his trade rumors as well.
A few websites claimed that Doncic would be looking to demand a trade away from the Mavs after the 2023-24 season. Speaking to the press, he said,
“I saw the report. I don’t know who, but somebody said that I was going to request a trade. It was funny because I didn’t know that was true. I didn’t say it.”
Doncic continued and reiterated that he’s happy in Dallas.
“I’m happy here. There’s nothing to worry.”
Will Kyrie Irving re-sign with the Mavs?
Now that Mark Cuban can relax a bit, knowing that Doncic is happy in Dallas, he will look to keep his other star there. Getting Kyrie back on board will be tougher for Cuban than expected. Even at the trade deadline, Kyrie wanted to make his way to Los Angeles and join LeBron James and the Lakers.
This offseason, D’Angelo Russell becomes a free agent, so the Lakers might have their pick of PGs. At the same time, Cuban will also try to dangle a nice carrot in front of Irving to keep his talents next to Luka and have a better chance at winning.
At this point, Kyrie has given no indication about his future, and we will have to wait and see how things unfold.
