The notion that “defense wins championships” seems like wishful thinking for a different reason: Dončić was showcasing his best defensive performance yet. In response to criticisms during the Finals, Dončić made significant improvements. During a press conference on Tuesday, Dončić himself acknowledged this progress, stating, “I believe I really elevated my game this year. I was more active, more vocal. I took a step forward, but there’s more work to be done, and that’s what I aim to achieve.”
Quietly, Dončić displayed a higher level of effort on the defensive end this season. At the time of his injury, Dončić had recorded more deflections (75) than Davis (74). Apart from deflections, Dončić was ranked 13th in steals alongside Jalen Suggs, and the Mavericks held the 11th spot in defensive rating. With Dončić on the court, the team limited opponents to 109.3 points per 100 possessions, as per NBA.com/stats tracking. Interestingly, when Dončić was off the floor, the Mavericks’ defense struggled, allowing 112.6 points per 100 possessions. Dončić’s elite steals and on/off numbers contributed to his defensive Estimated Plus-Minus being in the 83rd percentile this season, a career milestone.
I’m not arguing that Dončić surpasses AD on the defensive end. However, suggesting that AD’s defensive improvement overshadows Dončić’s overall impact is unfounded. Dončić may not maneuver through screens like Toumani Camara or hustle back on defense like Amen Thompson, but neither did Dirk Nowitzki.
**Theory No. 4: Luka Dončić was deemed too costly**
Credibility Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
The notion that Dončić would be too expensive is quite amusing. Even if Dončić were to sign a supermax contract, with an average annual salary of around $68 million, it would still be considered a bargain. Economic analyses have revealed that max contracts awarded to the top players in the league are among the best deals, as they artificially limit their earning potential well below what they could command in an open market. Superstar players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Dončić essentially subsidize the salaries of their peers while delivering substantial value to their respective teams.
A study conducted in 2024 by economist Scott Kaplan from BYU demonstrated that based on ticket sales, merchandise revenue, popularity (measured by All-Star votes), and player performance, LeBron James’ projected salary for the 2018-19 season would have been a staggering $123.3 million—nearly $100 million more than his actual Lakers salary of $35.6 million that year. Kaplan further suggested that due to James’ ability to draw crowds both at home and on the road, his value to the entire
In various studies, it is reasonable to suggest that any team employing someone with Dončić’s talent would gladly offer him a salary exceeding $100 million per year due to his basketball skills and ability to boost ticket sales, merchandise, and viewership. In fact, dedicating just 35% of the salary cap to Dončić should be seen as a bargain, not as a financial burden. This is why Harrison’s reluctance to open up the market frustrated other executives, as they recognize that for players like Dončić reaching their prime, the supermax contract is a significant advantage for teams.
Theory No. 5: Mavericks Owners Considering a Move to Vegas
Credibility: 3 out of 5 stars
If you are a fan of the Seattle SuperSonics or the Oakland A’s, you might want to skip this section.
Perhaps you came across the viral post on social media by Dallas attorney Chris Kratovil, who is a lifelong Mavericks fan. He proposed an intriguing theory that the Adelson family, who acquired the team in 2023 and has ties to the casino industry in Las Vegas, could be secretly planning to undermine the Mavericks franchise to pressure the Texas legislature into allowing them to develop resort casinos in the state.
Sports betting is prohibited for the 30 million residents of Texas, and the Adelsons’ proposed “Venetian Dallas” project is dependent on a change in the state’s long-standing stance against gambling. Despite extensive lobbying efforts, there has been little success thus far, leading experts to predict a challenging path for the Adelsons and other gambling proponents in the upcoming 2025 vote — assuming it even reaches the Texas senate floor.
The decision heavily rests on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has been hesitant to support sports betting legislation due to a lack of backing among Senate GOP members. Should their efforts continue to stall, the Adelsons might resort to a Plan B: using the threat of relocating the Mavericks to Las Vegas.
It is important to note that this scenario involves a situation where a team without Luka Dončić and a diminished fan base poses a more credible relocation threat compared to a successful Mavericks franchise with him. During a recent episode of the Basketball Illuminati podcast, Kratovil elaborated on his theory.
“I believe they are aiming for the leverage of Vegas and the prospect of monopolizing casino operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Kratovil stated on the podcast. “In my opinion, what they acquired in trading Luka was not just Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick. They gained a credible relocation threat to Vegas in 2027 or possibly 2029.”
Given that the Texas legislature convenes biennially, if the expected 2025 session does not result in the passage of the bill, players like Davis and Irving may already be in their mid-30s by the next vote. The Adelsons, who have reportedly contributed
License plates. This wouldn’t be the first time an owner threatened to move a team. Any Sacramento Kings fan can remember the Maloofs era and the near relocations to Seattle and Virginia before then-NBA commissioner David Stern stepped in and helped keep the team in Sacramento. Furthermore, new owners from faraway towns have picked up and moved a team to their backyard before. Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett bought the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006, claimed he was all-in on Seattle and then took the team to Oklahoma two years later. (David Stern fined an OKC partner $250,000 for saying the quiet part out loud — that they wanted to move to OKC all along.) It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which NBA commissioner Adam Silver would allow a relocation. But then again, it would have been crazy to think the NBA would leave Seattle in the first place. Until the NBA announces who wins the expected Las Vegas expansion rights, this theory won’t go away. That’s what happens when Vegas casino owners buy a franchise in a state that repeatedly has said it doesn’t want casinos. Perhaps the answer is that a combination of the first four theories drove the Mavs to make the trade, but the timeline seems excessively drastic for that to be true. In 14 months’ time, the Adelsons managed to buy the team from Mark Cuban, gut him from the decision-making process, and then traded away its best, most beloved player months after an NBA Finals run. If the Mavs were truly worried about Dončić’s trajectory, they could have chosen less painful options. They could have changed coaches to see if someone else could reach him. They could have changed GMs to see if they can instill a better culture. Instead, they chose the nuclear option. The Kratovil theory may be far-fetched. But after sitting on it this week, the political and business reasons sure make more sense than the basketball ones.
