Luka Likely to Be Ineligible for MVP Due to NBA Rules; Can Still Get Max Contract

The Dallas Mavericks haven't hit the halfway mark of the 2024-25 NBA season, yet the MVP campaign for star Luka Dončić is almost officially over.

Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News noted Dončić is going to be sidelined for his 17th game when the Mavs host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. That puts him at the limit for the number of games he can miss and still be eligible for individual awards and All-NBA recognition.

Dallas and Denver's rematch Tuesday will remove the five-time All-Star from award consideration for good this year because that will put him at 18 absences.

Christmas Day is effectively when Dončić's MVP quest ended. He suffered a left calf strain in Dallas' 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the team confirmed he'd be re-evaluated in a month.

At the time, Dončić had already been out for eight contests.

Even taking an optimistic view toward his recovery, the Mavericks play 19 times from Dec. 27 through January and their best player will miss all or most of that stretch. There was simply no way he'd realistically hit the NBA's 65-game threshold.

Curtis explained Dončić at least remains on track to sign a supermax extension by virtue of making an All-NBA team in each of the last two seasons. That could pay out as much as $346.3 million.

For the Mavericks, their overriding priority is ensuring Dončić is healthy and peaking on the court once the playoffs are here in a few months. His injuries mean this will inevitably be a disappointing year by his usual standards, but embarking on another deep postseason run would more than make up for that.