Luka Doncic now has the bank account of a bona fide NBA superstar, as the 22-year-old guard -- poised to become the next face of the league -- signed a landmark five-year, $207 million supermax rookie contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
But has the franchise built a strong enough supporting cast around Doncic? Do they have a championship-caliber roster? Former NBA general manager and current Audacy Sports insider Ryan McDonough is somewhat skeptical.
"The Mavs had a little bit of an underwhelming free agency, they came into it with a bunch of cap space," McDonough told the Reiter Than You show on Tuesday. "Now, they actually have a good team. They've been a Western Conference playoff team in the last couple years... So, I thought they needed more playmakers, and I don't think they really addressed that, at least not at a high level. Basically, a lot of their plan was to bring back their own guys...
"I think because of Luka's greatness, they'll certainly be in the playoff mix and likely a playoff team in the West this year. But just to get into the top-six in the West and avoid the play-in scenarios isn't easy. I don't think that's a sure thing for Dallas, given they really kind of stood pat in free agency, and a lot of other teams -- the two in LA, Golden State, Phoenix, and others -- loaded up and look stronger than Dallas as we head into the preseason."
Doncic truly ascended to superstardom during the truncated 2020-21 season. In 66 games, the former Rookie of the Year averaged 27.7 points per game with 8.6 assists and 8.0 rebounds. In his second-career playoff series with the Mavericks this summer, Doncic averaged a double-double of 35.7 points and 10.3 assists with 7.9 boards, and he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40-plus points in a Game 7, per StatMuse.
Although Doncic's brilliance justifies his new record-breaking contract, Dallas hasn't been able to avoid first-round playoff exits in each of the last two years. Since winning the 2011 NBA Finals, the Mavericks have made the playoffs six times, and failed to make it past the opening round once.
The entire conversation between McDonough and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.