With Giannis Antetokounmpo signed, all the free agent focus will shift to Luka Doncic
Blame LeBron James.
Since “The Decision,” when he teamed with Chris Bosh with Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010, speculation about NBA player movement has become a bigger point of discussion than the NBA games themselves.
After a year of largely unfounded speculation that he would leave, Giannis Antetokounmpo re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks which means we must now turn our attention to Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks.
We are entering that window when there will be speculation about where Luka will sign his first free agent contract. He can’t even be a free agent until the summer of 2022.
It can be exhausting but predicting where the latest NBA star will sign his free agent contract is part of the NBA landscape, and sometimes more entertaining than the final score.
Speaking of the score, the Mavs’2020-21 season begins in Phoenix on Wednesday. The Mavs return home for their first game, sans fans of course, to play Charlotte on Dec. 30.
In the coming months, brace yourself for all sorts of conjecture and “reports” that Luka would rather get ready for his star turn in Los Angeles, wants to learn how to surf in Miami, aims to create his own cooking app in New York, likes Boston’s North End pizza, and loves San Francisco’s cool vibe.
Also, he wants to play with LeBron, Steph’, Jimmy Butler, Larry Bird, Jordan, Patrick Ewing, loves coach Brad Stevens, likes Knicks colors, grew up a Sonics fan, and is buying a new condo on Lake Shore Drive.
That’s part of the problem when you play in the NBA’s Middle Earth. That no top-end player, unless you’re Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki, actually wants to live in here — even with our Tex-Mex, barbecue, and tax-friendly laws.
The thought that NBA free agents loathe the Central Time zone has merit.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost Kevin Durant. The Denver Nuggets were going to lose Carmelo Anthony, so they traded him.
New Orleans had no choice but to trade Anthony Davis. The Indiana Pacers had to deal Paul George for fear of letting him go for nothing in return.
Kawhi Leonard won NBA titles in San Antonio and Toronto, but nothing was going to stop him until he was playing on a team in Los Angeles.
LeBron left Cleveland. Twice.
All of these All-Star players wound up on our coasts.
But unlike those players bolts, Luka’s situation feels more like a Giannis. A Dirk. A Timmy Duncan.
For a few months there existed the preposterous notion that Giannis was going to leave the Bucks to sign with the Dallas Mavericks.
Two things about this.
One, there was nothing from the Bucks, or Giannis, to indicate even a hint at a breakup.
Two, those top-tier free agents never sign with the Mavs.
Mark Cuban has miscalculated, misread and misjudged plenty of situations since buying the Mavs but he’s never made the biggest mistake an NBA owner can make.
While he did let future NBA MVP Steve Nash walk to the Phoenix Suns in 2004, Cuban always made sure Dirk was happy.
Dirk is more loyal than a dog, but Cuban always made sure his meal ticket’s bowl was full.
When Dirk finally grew fatigued from coach Avery Johnson, Avery was shown the door in the summer of ‘08.
If you are looking to expand your criticism of Cuban, the only other player he let walk was center Tyson Chandler.
Tyson wanted to stay, but Cuban gave him low-ball offer and Chandler signed with the New York Knicks where he went on to become an All-Star and win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Mavs’ fear was that Chandler’s knees would not hold up, and injuries have certainly affected his production.
Since Cuban bought the team in 2000, Nash and Chandler are Cuban’s biggest mistakes.
There is nothing currently that suggests Cuban will not succeed in retaining Luka. There is nothing to suggest Luka wants to be anywhere but with the Mavericks.
But since we are all “stuck” here in the NBA’s least-liked time zone, there will be speculation from now until Luka signs his own supermax contract that he secretly yearns to play near a bigger body of water than the mighty Trinity River.
I blame LeBron.
