DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - It might not be the offseason Mavericks fans had hoped for thus far, but they can take solace in the fact that they'll have their All-Star point guard around for at least the next five seasons.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison, head coach Jason Kidd, assistant general manager Michael Finley, director of player health and performance Casey Smith and the greatest player in franchise history Dirk Nowitzki all traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia to see Luka Doncic sign a five-year, $207 million supermax extension.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report on the deal being done Monday.
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The Mavs brass will hold a press conference alongside Doncic and his agent Bill Duffy in Slovenia at 8 a.m. CT Tuesday morning to officially announce the agreement.
"Today is a dream come true," Doncic told ESPN in a statement. "The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places. I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks and appreciate the support of my fans.
"Along with this new contract, I am also happy to announce that I am increasing my efforts and focusing on expanding The Luka Dončić Foundation. My foundation is an international non-profit that will give back to places that mean so much to me like my home country of Slovenia, as well as the communities in North Texas.
I've happy to share in partnership with 2K Foundations we are unveiling two basketball courts here in Slovenia soon. We are refurbishing my childhood courts where I learned and practiced the game. The opportunity for kids to play on the same courts and pursue the same dreams I had is something I'm excited about."
The new contract, which includes a player option in the fifth year of the deal, will keep Doncic in Dallas until at least the 2025-26 season. Doncic still has one year remaining on his rookie contract that will pay him $10.1 million.
In the first year of the extension, the 22-year-old will earn $34.7 million in 2022-23. After that, it increases to $37.5 million, $40.3 million, $43.1 million and $45.9 million for the 2026-27 season if Doncic chooses to opt into the final year of the contract. These numbers are based on a $115 million salary cap in 2022-23, ESPN's Bobby Marks reported.
Doncic signing this extension was all but guaranteed throughout the offseason, but the Mavs gave him his space while he led Slovenia to a fourth-place finish in the Olympics on Saturday. And if you had any concerns about whether or not Doncic would sign the deal, all you had to do was take his own word for it.
“I think you know the answer,” Doncic said at the team's end-of-season press conference while smiling.
Doncic earned his second straight All-Star appearance and First-Team All-NBA nomination after averaging 27.2 points, eight rebounds and 8.6 assists while shooting 47.9-percent overall and 35-percent from deep in 2020-21.
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