DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 24: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks rests on the court during the ... [+]
The Dallas Mavericks have just lost two straight games to the Charlotte Hornets, one of the league's worst teams, which acts as a symptom of what has been an underwhelming season for the Texas-based organization.
What's even worse than their diminishing playoffs odds is the fact that the Mavericks won't have much control in the offseason about.. well, anything, really.
Kyrie Irving and Christian Wood - the team's second and third-best players - are both unrestricted free agents, who have the right to leave outright. Tim Hardaway Jr and Davis Bertans, two players with inconsistent production on fairly large deals, remain on the books and won't necessarily be easy to move off of.
And the middle of it all is Luka Dončić, the Slovenian superstar who is unquestionably a Top 5 talent, and a franchise-carrying player. With three years left on his contract after the conclusion of this season, Dončić looks increasingly trapped in a situation that's becoming untenable.
To acquire Irving, forward Dorian Finney-Smith was routed to Brooklyn, and he was one of Dončić's best friends on the team. If Irving and Wood are both to leave, that's a combination of both talent and friends that would no longer be with the Mavericks, representing major losses for the team overall, and for Dončić himself.
Even going back to the summer, where Jalen Brunson left for the New York Knicks, he did so due to the Mavericks signing him to a four-year deal back in 2018, a contractual snafu considering the fact that second-round draft picks will automatically qualify for unrestricted free agency status after the conclusion of their fourth season.
It doesn't help the situation that head coach Jason Kidd has a tendency to put blame on his players as opposed to himself, something dating back to his days in Milwaukee where he coached another European superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Free agents might hesitate to sign onto a project that is led by Kidd, and with a roster around Dončić that is lacking in talent.
Dallas is 36-38 and ranks 11th in the Western Conference, which is considered a massive disappointment by all possible measures given that the team made the Conference Finals last season. Dončić might play MVP caliber basketball, but his efforts are often wasted. Dallas is sporting the eight worst defense in the league, and the departure of Finney-Smith and also Spencer Dinwiddie are notable rotation shorteners.
Some fans around the team are beginning to wonder if the best course for Dallas is to tank for the remainder of the season to potentially get a high lottery pick. While that tactic is viable, it's only to a certain extent.
Dallas does have their first-round pick this year, but only if it lands in the Top 10. If it lands outside, the pick conveys to New York via the Kristaps Porziņģis trade.
Once again, due to the specific protection levels of that pick, it leaves Dallas in the role of being observers. There's little they can do about anything this summer, which has to be a topic of conversation going into next season within the front office.
How can they achieve more control? How can they rid themselves of bad contracts? How can they strengthen the roster?
Those questions need answers, and soon. If they take too much time, Dončić could end up looking elsewhere to spend the next part of his NBA career, as having failed to build anything sustainable around him is currently a tradition in Dallas.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
