Dallas Mavericks reportedly considering shutting down stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving

It’s been quite an unusual last month and a half for the Mavericks, as they’ve fallen from a comfortable 4th spot in the West, to missing out even on the play-in tournament terrritory as they currently sit in the conference’s 11th spot. Their panorama is just turning grimmer by the day after losing against the Charlotte Hornets last week.

Now it appears the team’s stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving might soon be done for the season, as reports are flooding the internet suggesting that the Dallas management is considering shutting down both players.

One of the first on the scene was of course NBA insider Shams Charania. “I’m told the organization is seriously considering the possibility of shutting down those guys,” the reporter said on FanDuel TV this past Monday.

With the Mavericks currently out of the playoff picture and with a high-draft pick hanging in the balance, the team is considering shutting down Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić for the rest of the season, according to Shams Charania https://t.co/Ekt2Br4zmM

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 3, 2023

Even though the Mavs are just one game back of the final spot in the play-in tournament, the Oklahoma City Thunder stands at No. 10 with the tie-breaker over them.

Unfortunately for the Texan team, with only three matches remaining in their regular season, most of the scenarios that place Dallas in the postseason haven fallen out of their own control. Even so, Dallas isn’t doing much to build their case, as they’ve only won one game in their last eight outings.

Dallas plan to offer Irving a new contract and build the team around their superstars

This wasn’t the only news Charania reported, as he added that the administration plans to bring Irving back from free agency and rebuild the team from the start of the next campaign around him and the Slovenian. “They have a top-10 protected pick. So being out of the play-in race, it behooves them not to try to keep their pick,” he said.

While Dallas are trying to figure out what’s the best solution to their recent troubles and what’s to come, the press is looking for who’s to blame in this crisis, as accountability is in order.

Check out ESPN’s panel of experts discuss who is responsable for the Mavs’ problems in their latest episode of First Take:

Just to recap, Irving came in from the Brooklyn Nets right before the end of the last trade deadline in February. Ever since the star landed in Texas, the team is 7-12 in his 19 games for the franchise. The guard is averaging 24.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds over his last five contests, even though he is supposed to be playing through a small injury.

As for Doncic’s last five games, the point guard is averaging 30.6 points 9.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists, after recovering from a left thigh strain that kept him on the sidelines for a week and a half in March.

It’s been 50 years since the last time a player with more than 33 ppg scoring average missed the playoffs, Tiny Archibald being the last to suffer this fate. The Slovenian is 32.9 points per game this season, as only five other athletes in NBA history have missed out on the next stage with an average of at least 32 points.

The Dallas squad is preparing to play again this Wednesday when they face the powerful Sacramento Kings at home at the American Airlines Center.