Earlier this week, it was reported that Luka Doncic and various other Dallas Mavericks players were fed up with Rick Carlisle and that they were upset with some of the things that were happening in the front office. While team owner Mark Cuban was quick to push back against these claims, it seemed as though the writing was on the wall in Dallas. With the team looking to push further in the playoffs, Carlisle was starting to wear thin in the locker room, and today, the story reached its climax.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Carlisle stepped down as the head coach of the team, despite still having two years left on his contract. This news came as a bit of a shock to some in the basketball world, although the Mavs will now have to act quickly. While Cuban is upset with the decision, it seems like Doncic already has a new head coach in mind.
“I truly love Rick Carlisle. He was not only a good coach but also a friend and a confidant. Our relationship was so much more than basketball. And I know that won’t ever change,” Cuban said.
Doncic has the ability to sign a supermax extension in the offseason and if he doesn’t do it, there could be an even bigger storm brewing in Dallas. With Carlisle gone, perhaps Doncic will be more inclined to commit five more years of his future to the team that drafted him.
