Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. formed a friendship rather quickly when they first became teammates. However, Rick Carlisle didn’t believe in their fit as a backcourt duo and already had plans to “blow it up,” according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Carlisle preferred the Mavericks to draft Donovan Mitchell back in 2017 and was quick to sour on Smith Jr.
Before Smith Jr. was ultimately dealt to the Knicks in the Kristaps Porzingis deal, Carlisle was hard on him, accused him of being jealous of Doncic and seemed determined to make him miserable, multiple players and staffers told ESPN.
Smith Jr. all but confirmed a lot of the article written by MacMahon in a tweet, saying it was “spot on” and “Y’all don’t even know the half.”
The way Carlisle treated Smith Jr., and others within the organization, did not sit well with Doncic, leading to years-long tension between the two.
“It wasn’t really about how Rick treated Luka,” a Mavs player on the 2018/19 team told ESPN. “Luka hated how Rick treated other people.”
More Mavericks Notes
- Carlisle, who had two years left on his contract, approached Mark Cuban about a contract extension over the offseason. However, Cuban shot him down, which led to Carlisle leaving after fearing he would be on the hot seat while feeling confident he would land another head coaching opportunity. For what it’s worth, Doncic never called for his dismissal.
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The Mavs regretted releasing J.J. Barea prior to last season, as he served as a “connective tissue” between Doncic and Carlisle and Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Because of Barea’s release, the Mavs struggled to manage conflicts between Doncic and Porzingis last season since Carlisle didn’t have a great relationship with either player.
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Porzingis would’ve welcomed a trade out of Dallas prior to the 2020-21 season. However, he feels rejuvenated under news head coach Jason Kidd, who was the only candidate the Mavs ever considered as their replacement for Carlisle.
- The Mavericks reached out to the Nets about a possible Kyrie Irving trade, according to Ian Begley of SNY. Porzingis was mentioned in those discussions.
