The Utah Jazz have been watching the Luka Doncic situation play out for months but is he a real option?
In May of 2023, the Utah Jazz were reportedly keeping a keen eye on Luka Doncic as the Slovenian superstar has been met with disappointment and failure over the course of his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks seemingly had a good offseason, making some quieter moves with high-upside potential, but the situation could go south for the team. Especially with Kyrie Irving’s inability to contribute anything at all on defense.
The Mavs did a lot of work to at least look like they have a shot in 2023-2024, but with so much reliance on unknown commodities, there’s no guarantee that this works. And if it doesn’t, Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, is going to be in serious trouble.
Doncic is a once-in-a-lifetime player and someone who fits the Jazz’s needs perfectly. It isn’t just that he’s a top-three player in the league, it’s the fact that of all the players in the league, he fits the needs of the Jazz the best.
It’s very possible if the Mavericks again struggle, that he’ll want out, and if that does happen, the Jazz are apparently ready to bounce. With oodles and oodles of draft picks and young players, there isn’t a team in the league that could offer a better package for Doncic.
If we’re talking right now, at the end of August, assuming Doncic is committed to five-plus years in Utah at a minimum, there isn’t a limit to what the team would offer.
You could send over Collin Sexton, Taylor Hendricks, Brice Sensabaugh, Keyonte George, and four or five first-round picks at least. You don’t want to get too nutty, the goal is to win with Doncic on the roster, so you don’t want to ship over guys like Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, or Jordan Clarkson. But anyone else should be on the table to go.
But is it realistic to think the Jazz are going to land Doncic should the situation in Dallas goes south? Well, there’s a lot of chatter, which is why KSL Sports looked into this very thing and they’ve decided it’s not very likely, which we agree with. It’s not likely, but it is possible.
Doncic is one of the stars in the league that the oddsmakers believe will ask for a trade at some point in the near future. That’s the biggest question mark if Doncic will want out. If he does want out, then the Jazz has as good, if not a better chance, than anyone.
We’ll have to see how well the Mavericks do this season, because if they struggle and come out of the block slow, the Jazz may want to try and pounce.