ESPN Analysts: Mavs 'On The Clock' to Build Contender Around Luka Doncic

ESPN analysts Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps both agree that the Dallas Mavericks can't afford a repeat performance of last season if they want to hold onto Luka Doncic's unrelenting trust.

Although the Dallas Mavericks completely retooled their roster around star duo Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving this summer, there will still be doubts about how successful they can be until they go out on the court next month and prove it in the win/loss column.

In ESPN's "biggest 2023-24 NBA preseason questions and predictions" piece, Tim MacMahan and Tim Bontemps both agree that the Mavs can't afford a repeat performance of last season if they want to hold onto Doncic's unrelenting trust. According to Bontemps, Dallas is already 'on the clock.'

"After the disaster that was last season, this has to be the Mavericks. The franchise is on the clock to convince Luka Doncic this team can contend for championships over the long-term," Bontemps writes.

"If this team misses the playoffs again -- or somehow misses the play-in tournament again -- the pressure in Dallas is going to intensify next summer, when Doncic only has two years left on his contract before he can be an unrestricted free agent."

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MacMahon doesn't believe Doncic will 'look for reasons' to leave Dallas, but if the Mavs have a second consecutive catastrophic season after all the moves that have been made, the franchise's superstar could start to wonder if the grass is greener elsewhere.

"The Mavericks can't afford a repeat of last season's catastrophe. I don't think Doncic will look for reasons to leave Dallas, but logic would be smacking him in the face if the Mavericks miss the playoffs in the first two seasons of his supermax deal," MacMahon writes.

"The front office has felt that pressure, which is why the team has given up their 2029 first-round pick and unprotected 2030 swap rights over the last year to make significant upgrades to Doncic's supporting cast."

The Mavs' list of newcomers for the upcoming season includes: Seth Curry, Grant Williams, Dante Exum, Dereck Lively II, Richaun Holmes, OMax Prosper and Derrick Jones Jr. All of those guys could have an immediate impact, especially when considering that most of them, aside from Curry and Holmes, bring defensive versatility to the table.

Dallas is in a great place heading into Doncic's sixth season, and it appears to be poised for a big bounce-back season. Again, though, no matter how good things might look on paper, the Mavs still have a lot to prove when they actually hit the court.