Luka Doncic

You can't blame Luka Doncic for working the NBA refs, even when he's playing overseas. 

Doncic, currently competing with Slovenia in the Olympic qualifiers, told reporters Wednesday—perhaps with tongue planted in cheek—that he gets about the same number of calls with FIBA referees as he does in the NBA:

This, of course, after Slovenia's 118-68 win over Angola. And after Doncic went to the charity stripe 471 times in the 2020-21 season, sixth in the NBA behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo (581), Joel Embiid (548), Trae Young (546), Zion Williamson (529) and Damian Lillard (484). 

So either Doncic was joking or he has his sights set on leading the league in free throws next season. 

The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to terms with Los Angeles Lakers assistant and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Jason Kidd to be their next head coach, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Friday.

Mavs governor Mark Cuban spoke with TMZ Sports about his excitement for the Kidd hire and what he thinks it will mean for Dallas superstar guard Luka Doncic.

"I'm excited about it, obviously," Cuban said. "J. Kidd is going to be great for us. He's going to be great for Luka, for the organization. I'm really excited about it."

Kidd played for the Mavs from 1994 to 1996 and again from 2008 to 2012, winning the 2011 NBA title as Dallas defeated LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the championship round.

The Mavericks also hired Nike executive Nico Harrison to be their general manager and run their basketball operations, per MacMahon. Harrison and Kidd will replace longtime executive Donnie Nelson and head coach Rick Carlisle, respectively.

Doncic and the Mavs went 42-30 this year and reached the playoffs for the second straight season. Dallas fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round during the 2020 and 2021 postseasons.

The Dallas Mavericks and Rick Carlisle parted ways this offseason, though it didn't take long for the veteran head coach to land a new gig, reuniting with the Indiana Pacers with whom he coached for four years before joining the Mavs. 

Despite 13 seasons in Dallas coming to a close, Carlisle and the Mavs didn't appear to end on anything other than solid terms. And the 61-year-old had nothing but praise for Luka Doncic while speaking with ESPN's Tim MacMahon on Thursday:

"I just sent [Doncic] a message thanking him for three amazing years. I learned many things from him, and I told him that I'm glad I'm only going to see him twice a year. I mean it in the most complimentary way, of course. I think he's the best young player in the world. I think these three years set up as a major springboard for the next 10 for him. I expect him to be an NBA champion. I expect him to be a multiple MVP winner. I just have an amazing level of respect for his abilities and his grasp of the game. He's truly a once-in-the-generation type player.

"I sat with Luka two years ago, and I told him that I was going to give him the ball, I was going to allow him to create, I was going to allow him to shape his career, to make mistakes, to make great plays, to go through winning, to go through losing, and that I felt that it was a very important part of who he was going to become as a player. He's taken that responsibility and trust, and he's turned it into a supermax career. But I believe he also understands that legacies are truly about championships. That was his history in Europe, and I predict that it will be his history in the NBA as well." 

Not everything was always rosy between Doncic and Carlisle.

Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported earlier in June that some Mavericks players were "frustrated with Carlisle after they lost playing time despite doing exactly what they felt he had asked of them, and for stiff rotation patterns, the latter of which they viewed—correctly, team sources confirm—as being dictated directly to him by [director of quantitative research and development Haralabos] Voulgaris. Early on, Doncic also disliked Carlisle's timeouts and frequent calling of plays."

But per that report, Carlisle adjusted his approach to suit Doncic. 

The 22-year-old has been nothing short of spectacular in his three NBA seasons, averaging 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game in his career. He was the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year and is already a two-time All-Star and a two-time first-team All-NBA selection. 

Really, the only thing Doncic hasn't achieved in his short career is an MVP award or a playoff series win. So things are going pretty well thus far. 

As for who his next head coach will be, multiple reports Thursday linked the Mavs to Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd:

Carlisle also publicly said he was rooting for Kidd to land the gig.

"My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka have so many things in common as players," he said. "I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I'm the only person on the planet that's coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players. To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that's just an opinion."

For most of the first three years of his NBA career, Deandre Ayton has lived in the shadow of fellow 2018 draftees Luka Doncic and Trae Young, with some even venturing to call him a disappointment at his lowest points. 

Fresh off a game-winning dunk that gave the Suns a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals and in the midst of a postseason breakout, Ayton still feels the scorn from his doubters.

"I still think they doubt me. I still think they don't believe yet," Ayton told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. "I might be turning some heads with people that know basketball, like front-office types, and people that really know the game. I know I am probably stepping into the right direction. But I don't think the world truly, truly sees that.

"But if I can win this whole thing, that is where I can get my reputation. That is where I can be a star."

Ayton has dominated the Clippers on the interior through the first two games of the conference finals, putting up 44 points and 23 rebounds while making 22 of his 27 shots. His inside presence forced the Clippers to abandon the small-ball lineups they used in the second round against the Jazz, with Ayton taking advantage in ways All-NBA center Rudy Gobert could not.

Ayton is averaging 16.3 points and 10.8 rebounds through 12 postseason games. ESPN Stats & Info noted he is the first player of the shot-clock era to shoot better than 70 percent in the playoffs over a 12-game span. 

Praise of his play is a stark contrast to mostly negative coverage of Ayton's first three NBA seasons. Whereas Doncic emerged as a perennial MVP candidate and Young revitalized basketball in Atlanta, Ayton was seen as something of a relic to the past—an interior big who gobbles up largely empty double-doubles. Media outlets were offering completely fair criticisms of Ayton even this season, as concern grew as to whether he'll ever reach All-Star potential.

"People are going to have criticisms night in and night out,” Ayton said. "But you have to know what kind of player you are. Whether they view you negatively or positively, you have to work when no one is watching. You have to bring it every day with consistency.”

If Ayton's playoff brilliance is part of a true breakout, then there's a real potential the 2018 draft class will go down as one of the strongest in recent memory. Young has been perhaps the biggest mainstream star of these playoffs with his antics taking down the Knicks and Sixers, while Doncic has face-of-the-NBA potential in Dallas. 

Luka Doncic and coach Rick Carlisle reportedly had a "simmering tension" that was a "concern" within the Dallas Mavericks organization before Carlisle's surprising resignation Thursday.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported the relationship between Carlisle and Doncic was strained, and though the coach was expected to return for the 2021-22 season, he would have been on the hot seat.

The longtime Mavericks coach instead chose to move on, releasing a statement through ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

"'After a number of in-person conversations with [owner] Mark Cuban over the last week, today I informed him that I will not be returning as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. This was solely my decision," Carlisle said in a statement. "My family and I have had an amazing 13-year experience working with great people in a great city." 

Carlisle spent 13 seasons with the Mavericks, compiling a 555-478 record in Dallas. The Mavericks won the 2011 NBA championship but have not gotten out of the first round for the last decade. Dallas held a 2-0 lead against the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1 this season before falling in seven games. 

News of tension between Carlisle and Doncic is of little surprise. Carlisle is known as a system-oriented, rigid personality whereas Doncic has a tendency to freelance. Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Carlisle loosened his reins on Doncic as their relationship progressed, but there were still times where the pair butted heads.

The Mavericks organization is in a state of upheaval, with Carlisle's resignation coming a day after the team announced the departure of longtime general manager Donnie Nelson. 

Governor Mark Cuban told Marc Stein of the New York Times that he expects to hire a new head of basketball operations before deciding on a coach. 

Doncic is expected to sign a new five-year, $200 million supermax extension this offseason.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has informed the team he will not be returning next season, he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

The stunning move comes shortly after Dallas chairman Mark Cuban reaffirmed his commitment to Carlisle, who had led the Mavs since the 2008-09 season, compiling a 513-448 record over 13 years along with winning the 2010-11 NBA championship. 

Dallas was eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2021 postseason, making it the sixth consecutive loss in the conference quarterfinals since 2012—the Mavericks failed to reach the playoffs in the other four seasons. 

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, there had been "simmering tension" between Carlisle and superstar Luka Doncic, which caused concern inside the organization.

Had Carlisle returned for the 2021-22 season, MacMahon reported he was likely to be on a short leash. By leaving on his own terms now, the 61-year-old can interview for any of the current openings in the league—including the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans—and give Dallas a chance to begin next season with a new regime in place.

On Wednesday, Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson agreed to part ways after spending 24 years with the franchise. Dallas told MacMahon it would hire a search firm to source a new president of basketball operations.

That move followed an explosive article by Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic, which noted "multiple team sources" inside the Mavs expressed concern over Doncic's long-term future with the franchise.

Cuban instantly refuted the report, calling the story "total bulls--t" in a tweet before further expressing his disdain to B/R's Taylor Rooks.

Three days later, the Mavs have lost their longtime general manager and head coach as Doncic's future with the club remains unclear, though he intimated a desire to sign a supermax extension this summer following the Mavs' elimination by the Clippers. Cuban told Marc Stein of the New York Times he expects to hire a new head of basketball operations before finding a new coach.

Carlisle moves on from Dallas after coaching some of the NBA's most electric teams built around stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, Kristaps Porzingis and Doncic. 

The New York native can now look for his fourth head coaching job after previous stints with the Pacers and Detroit Pistons, as well as assistant roles with the New Jersey Nets and Blazers.

Luka Doncic reportedly plans to sign a five-year supermax contract with the Dallas Mavericks despite his displeasure over the departure of general manager Donnie Nelson and reported friction with front-office member Haralabos Voulgaris.

Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported nothing has changed from Doncic's perspective regarding his long-term future with the franchise. Doncic said he planned to sign the supermax contract, which will be worth upwards of $200 million, following the Mavericks' first-round loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

While it seemed like an obvious choice at the time, reports of internal friction led to some speculation his future in Dallas might not be so secure. Doncic said Thursday he was not happy about Nelson's departure. 

"It was kind of tough to me. I really like Donnie. I know him since I was a kid and he was the one that drafted me. It was tough for me seeing that, but I'm not the one making decisions there," Doncic told reporters.

The Athletic reported Walsh was fired Sunday, though the team characterized it as a mutual parting. Walsh spent 24 seasons with the Mavericks organization.

The idea that any tension between Doncic and the Mavericks would lead to a departure was always farfetched. Doncic's options are limited, given he's under contract through next season and would have to accept a qualifying offer of $13.4 million for 2022-23 in order to test unrestricted free agency in 2023.

Even in the age of player empowerment, no superstar has turned down supermax-level money in order to force themselves into a new situation. Doncic would have to be unhappy enough to turn down $186.6 million in additional guaranteed cash. 

Leverage for players starts to kick in around the Year 6 or 7 mark, when they've signed the second contract but also see free agency off in the not-to-distant future. If the Mavs still haven't built a winner around Doncic once he's in his mid-20s, then it's probably time to start worrying about him angling for a new home.

We have enough evidence in the modern NBA that there's an expected pattern of behavior here. The Mavs have time to right the ship, just not as much as they'd prefer. 

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic addressed the team's decision to move on from Donnie Nelson as president of basketball operations and general manager. 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Doncic said it was "tough for me" because Nelson was the one who drafted him to the Mavs before adding, "I'm not the one making decisions there."

The Mavericks announced on Wednesday a mutual parting of ways with Nelson after he spent 24 seasons with the organization. 

Since their first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Mavs have found themselves subject to rumors and speculation about the state of the organization. 

Per Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bob Voulgaris, who works in Dallas' front office, is described as "the most influential voice within" the front office since he was hired in 2018. 

Cato and Amick noted that Doncic doesn't like Voulgaris, and the two had a verbal altercation during a February game against the Golden State Warriors.

Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reported on The Jump that Doncic was "upset" about Nelson's departure and that people close to the two-time All-Star have said there haven't been any talks with the team about a contract extension. 

Doncic has indicated already that he plans to sign a new deal that he is eligible to receive this offseason. 

"I think you know the answer," Doncic told reporters on June 7 when asked about an extension. 

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Doncic's rookie extension can top out at $201.5 million if he signs the full five-year max. 

Doncic has established himself as Dallas' franchise player over the past three seasons. The 22-year-old has been named to the All-NBA first team in each of the past two years. He averaged 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game in 66 starts during the 2020-21 season. 

The Mavericks finished fifth in the Western Conference with a 42-30 record. They won the first two games in the first round of the playoffs and led 3-2 after five games against the Clippers, but they lost the series in seven games. 

Longtime Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations and general manager Donnie Nelson is no longer with the franchise after 24 years, and star Luka Doncic reportedly isn't happy about the move.

Appearing on ESPN's The Jump on Wednesday (48-second mark), Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated said Doncic is "really upset" and is expected to make a statement about the firing on Thursday. 

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News provided some clarification to the situation:

Nelson, who was assistant general manager and assistant coach before he became president of basketball operations, was "widely credited" with the draft-day deal that brought Doncic to Dallas in 2018, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. 

Nelson also drafted Dirk Nowitzki in 1998. 

MacMahon acknowledged the decision came amid "internal friction" related to the power that Mavericks director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris holds within the organization, and the move comes days after Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the former professional gambler is considered "the most influential voice within the Mavericks front office." 

The Athletic report noted Doncic wasn't a fan of Voulgaris and referenced a February incident, when the 22-year-old "snapped" at the exec after he interpreted a mid-game hand gesture as criticism. In April, he reportedly told teammates that Voulgaris was "quitting on them" after he left an eventual loss to the New York Knicks early. 

Governor Mark Cuban responded to that report on Twitter and in speaking to Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks: 

But based on the latest update, it seems that this could be deeper than just Doncic's displeasure with a certain someone in the front office. And that could be dangerous for Dallas, since the Slovenian star can sign a supermax extension this summer after being named an All-NBA first-teamer. 

And with the latest update, Spears said those contract talks aren't ongoing right now.