The future is bright for the Dallas Mavericks. They have ample cap space in the summer, Kyrie Irving will return next season, plus a lottery pick, and they already have a franchise player in Cooper Flagg.
Add in complementary role players like Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford, Max Christie, and Dereck Lively II, and the Mavericks should be postseason-bound in the next season or two.
However, fans can't shake the feeling that all of this is unnecessary. If fans had it their way, the team would still be building and contending around Luka Doncic, who never gave any indication that he wanted to play for any other team.
In an effort to start from scratch, Nico Harrison and almost anyone involved in the Luka trade have been turned away by the organization, but one key player in the deal might still be calling some shots.
Did Jason Kidd Know About the Luka Doncic Trade?
In the days and weeks after Doncic was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Kidd seemed shocked and detached, although he followed Harrison's marching orders and messaging.
If fans find out that he played a part in moving Doncic away, the mostly successful head coach would be shunned by the MFFLers.
According to a recent report, Kidd might have been in the know all along.
"Jason Kidd's acting skills have drastically improved," claimed ESPN insider Tim MacMahon. "He convinced millions of people that he was just absolutely shocked that Luka Doncic got traded in the middle of the night."
Doncic and Kidd have seemed cold towards one another since the trade, although that might be residual anger towards the franchise coming from Doncic. When Luka was in Dallas, he and the head coach seemed to agree on nearly everything, and anytime they butted heads, it could be chalked up to their competitive nature or hard coaching; there was no reason to suspect an underlying problem.
But if Kidd knew about the trade and signed off on it? That would explain why things have since soured between the pair. Perhaps Kidd even advocated for the trade, or maybe moving on from Doncic was his idea.
That, of course, seems far-fetched, as an NBA veteran of Kidd's stature would have encouraged Harrison to demand more in return for the Slovenian superstar, perhaps even opening up bidding on the open market.
For now, everything remains speculative.