Dallas Basketball

Potential Luka Doncic Suitor: Jazz Planning Trade Pursuit of Mavs Star?

If Luka Doncic wants to leave the Dallas Mavericks one day in the future, there will be 29 teams around the league foaming at the mouth to get him via trade.

Michael Mulford

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Once a team is eliminated from the playoffs, speculation and rumors run rampant on what's to come next in the offseason. For the Dallas Mavericks, that became a reality earlier than expected, as they failed to even make the play-in tournament a year after making it to the Western Conference Finals. 

With the uncertainty of Kyrie Irving's upcoming free agency and a number of roster upgrades needed to build a contending team around Luka Doncic, this summer is crucial for the Mavericks’ future. And if Dallas has a dud of an offseason followed by a second consecutive failed season, Doncic's patience may just meet its limit.

On Thursday, NBA Analysis Network was told by a former NBA executive that 'teams around the league are already planning a blockbuster trade pursuit of Doncic' and the Utah Jazz is one team to keep an eye on.

"There is no telling what the future holds for the Mavs and Luka [Doncic], but teams are swirling like sharks in the water. The Jazz, in particular, plan to pursue Luka if and when he becomes available."

Like the Jazz, the other 28 teams in the NBA will also be interested in trading for Doncic, so we wouldn't necessarily call this a report any sort of breaking news. If a player of Doncic's caliber becomes available, all teams will be interested -- it's that simple.

Now, while that all may be true of the Jazz's potential pursuit of Doncic, that doesn't automatically make Utah a top suitor for his services if he were to one day request a trade from the Mavericks. Though Utah may have one of the more wealthy collections of draft picks to flaunt at the Mavs, the Jazz don't seem like the kind of destination that Doncic would have on his trade target list. 

Doncic is all about the pursuit for a championship, and if Dallas can't make that goal come to fruition, his next destination will need to be ready to contend. We’re sorry Jazz fans, but Utah just doesn't seem like a destination that would be on Doncic's hypothetical shortlist.

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Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.

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