3 Disastrous events Mavericks must avoid to keep Luka Doncic happy

The Dallas Mavericks' immediate future is practically hinged on Luka Doncic's desire to stay in Dallas over the coming years.

While there are no reports of Doncic exhibiting discontent with the Mavericks' organization thus far, things got rocky last season when Doncic looked dull and disinterested in post-game interviews after repeated tough losses.

The Mavericks cannot operate under the notion that Doncic will follow the paths of other European superstars who have stayed devoutly loyal to the first team that acquired them, such as the case with Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

3 Disastrous events Mavericks must avoid to keep Luka Doncic happy

In the modern NBA, anything can happen. As wild of a rollercoaster as the post-championship years have been in Dallas, there is no guarantee that Doncic will want to stick with the Mavericks amidst whatever disastrous events they may encounter in the coming years.

Dallas can do their best to keep Doncic happy at the end of the day, but who knows if some sort of disconnect ever catalyzes between him and the organization. Thus, the Mavericks must do everything they can to win around Doncic for the sake of their future.

If Dallas fails to keep Doncic happy in the future, it will likely be because of one of these three disastrous events occur that the Mavericks would have wished they had prevented.

3. The Mavericks have another management/coaching overhaul

Although the Mavericks quickly replaced Rick Carlisle and Donnie Nelson with Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison right after the end of the 2021 NBA season, Mark Cuban can be given a free pass because of how longstanding the continuity within the Mavericks' upper brass was.

However, if this were to happen again, there isn't a guarantee that Luka Doncic would be willing to go through another organizational shift, especially given that such drastic measures taken by Mark Cuban would likely be sparked by another failed season.

After a slew of free-agent additions this past summer, the Mavericks have put themselves in a position to be much better this summer. However, if last year didn't teach them anything, then they are assuredly in for a rude awakening if they take the vastly improved Western Conference for granted because of past playoff success.

The Mavericks should be a lot better on paper next year, but without having seen just how impactful the bolstered wing depth the Mavericks accrued this past off-season will be, the question of, 'How much will the lack of a starting-level rim protector hurt Dallas this year?', still looms very large.

If rookie Dereck Lively II doesn't plow through the expected rookie wall that most big men hit during their first year in the league, then Dallas will be hard-pressed for more rim protection beyond what they will get from Dwight Powell, Richaun Holmes, and Maxi Kleber.

If the Mavericks' lack of rim protection is such a hindrance that their defense completely collapses again or something unexpected happens, such as a season-ending injury to Doncic or Irving, the Mavericks could find themselves in the hot seat with Luka Doncic. Given either of those events would likely warrant a consideration towards a front office overhaul, Dallas should continue to shape their roster meticulously around Doncic and Irving.