ESPN: Mavs Insiders Felt They Were 'Held Hostage' Heading into Luka Contract Decision

Faced with the prospect of having to give Luka Dončić a supermax contract extension this summer, the Dallas Mavericks had enough doubts about his long-term viability at that price to move on from the superstar point guard.

On the Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 11:35 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon said multiple people within the Mavs organization felt like they were being "held hostage" by having to build the ultimate success of the franchise around Dončić on a potential $345 million contract.

Once the Mavericks decided to make a move, they targeted one player rather than put Dončić on the trade block:

"Harrison made the decision, supported by new Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont, to pursue Davis and pretty much no one else. The Mavericks did not make Dončić available to interested teams for the richest possible haul of draft picks. Sources say that the Mavericks are convinced that this move brings back a top-10 player in the league as well as a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers."

Dončić was going to be eligible for a five-year, $345 million extension from the Mavs this summer. The deal would have been the richest in NBA history, surpassing Jayson Tatum's five-year, $313.9 million deal from the Boston Celtics signed in July.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted Dončić is no longer eligible for that contract, but he could still sign an extension with the Lakers for up to four years and $229 million this summer. There's also a scenario he could sign a shorter-term deal to sign a supermax deal later.

Even though it would seem like an obvious choice for the Mavs to simply pay Dončić given how talented he is and how valuable he's been to the organization thus far, MacMahon noted they had "major concerns" about his conditioning issues going forward.

Dončić has had some issues staying on the court throughout his career. He's only reached the 70-game threshold twice in seven seasons, but he's never missed more than 17 games prior to this season.

Conditioning has been a question for Dončić throughout his career, so much that he's actually admitted to having issues staying in peak physical condition.

"People are going to talk about it, yes or no," Dončić said in December 2021. "I know I've got to do better."

The Mavs are taking a huge risk by deciding they didn't want to bet on Dončić at the cost of a supermax contract to be a franchise player as he ages into his late-20s and early-30s. They didn't come out of this deal empty-handed because Anthony Davis is still a great player who can help them win now and should make for a strong pairing with Kyrie Irving.

But this trade is a long-term risk by the Mavericks that could potentially set their franchise back significantly if it doesn't work out like they hope. They are coming off a season in which Dončić led them to the NBA Finals and he became the first player in league history to lead the playoffs in points, rebounds, assists and steals.