A little over a week after the Dallas Mavericks looked like they were imploding during a dismal loss to the Charlotte Hornets, it appears the team’s stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving might soon be done for the season.
“I’m told the organization is seriously considering the possibility of shutting down those guys,” Shams Charania reported on FanDuel TV Monday.
The Mavericks currently sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, just one game back of the final spot in the play-in tournament. However, Oklahoma City Thunder sits at No. 10 with the tie-breaker over Dallas.
With only three games left in their regular season, many of the scenarios that land Dallas in the playoffs fall out of the team’s control. Charania added that considerations for next season could also inform what the Mavericks choose to do, adding that the team plans to bring Irving back in free agency this offseason and build around him and Dončić.
“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.
Dallas is 7-12 in the 19 games Irving has played this season for the Mavericks. The team does not play again until Wednesday when they face the Sacramento Kings at home.
This story will be updated.