Dallas Mavericks' All-Star guard Luka Doncic moved to dispel speculation about his long-term future with the franchise, insisting he is happy where he is.
Reports emerged suggesting Doncic could evaluate his future with the Mavericks after they missed the 2022-23 playoffs with their first losing season (38-44) since the Slovenian's rookie year with Dallas.
That came despite the March trade for Kyrie Irving in an effort to make them championship contenders, yet they struggled with a miserable 7-18 run end to the season.
Doncic previously acknowledged publicly that he has been frustrated by their slide, but claimed that was natural given their poor results.
The guard signed a $207million contract extension in August 2021 keeping him tied with the Mavs until 2027, but players have opted out of long-term deals in the past.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban said this week that the Mavs had to "earn" Doncic's loyalty for him to spend his entire career with them.
The Slovenian cooled the concerns after the Mavs' season ended with a 138-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
"I'm happy here, so there's nothing to worry [about]," Doncic told reporters.
"I saw the report. I don’t know who, somebody said I was going to request a trade. It was funny as I didn’t know it was true. I didn’t say it."
Doncic said he hoped for offseason personnel changes to bolster the Mavs line-up, although he declined to comment on any specific player targets. He also endorsed Irving as his backcourt partner despite their struggles since his arrival.
"Something's got to change, for sure," Doncic said. "I mean, last year we went to Western Conference finals. We were having fun. I always talk about the chemistry we had. It was great. But something's got to change for sure."
On Irving, Doncic added: "I think it's a great fit. Obviously people are going to say no [and] look at the results we are having, but like I said, chemistry and relationships takes time. I wish he can still be here."
The Mavs are under NBA investigation after resting a series of key players for their penultimate game against the Chicago Bulls which they lost 115-112, ending their hopes of making the play-in tournament.
Finishing 11th in the West and missing the play-in meant the Mavs finished with the 10th-best lottery odds, which is important as Dallas owe the New York Knicks a top-10-protected pick, prompting the investigation.
"I didn't like that decision," Doncic said. "That's it."
New Phoenix boss Budenholzer would coach Suns 'if it was on the moon'
Mike Budenholzer admitted he would coach the Phoenix Suns, even if the team "was on the moon".
The two-time NBA Coach of the Year, who guided the Milwaukee Bucks to the title in 2021, was named Frank Vogel's successor at Footprint Center last week.
Arizona-born Budenholzer returns to his hometown after taking the 2023-24 season out, having previously enjoyed five-year stints with the Bucks and Atlanta Hawks.
The 54-year-old has only missed out on the postseason once in his 10 previous NBA campaign, guiding his teams to six division titles and entering the playoffs as top seeds on four occasions.
Budenholzer now hopes to achieve something similar with the Suns, who endured a disappointing season under Vogel, which culminated in a 4-0 first-round series defeat by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"It's mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I'm going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns," he told reporters during his introductory news conference.
"I'm excited about working with this roster and these players. We have great players and, with great players, comes great expectations. I think we embrace that.
"The biggest message I want you to hear is that I would coach this team if it was on the moon. I would coach this team if it was in Alaska, if these players were in Denmark. I would go anywhere to coach this team."
'We played harder' – Carlisle proud of Pacers' efforts after Indiana force Game 7
Rick Carlisle hailed the efforts of his Indiana Pacers players after they forced their playoff series with the New York Knicks to Game 7.
Carlisle challenged his players directly in the wake of their loss in Game 5, which put them 3-2 down in the series.
And the Pacers responded with a fine display in a 116-103 victory, which sees the series go down to the wire, with Game 7 set for Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
"It was just activity. We played harder tonight, which was a must," Carlisle said.
"We moved the ball better and we got more rebounds, and that's obviously a big key to the series.
"We gotta brace for Sunday. And we must be ready."
Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and nine assists for the Pacers, and said: "Coaches challenged our effort, I think that was the biggest thing.
"We had some boneheaded things happen [in Game 5].
"He [Carlisle] just really challenged our group [players] 1-15 on how can we be better."
Jalen Brunson finished with 31 points for the Knicks, but he was not overly impressed by his own performance.
"They try to make things difficult," Brunson said. "And I have to adjust as well. Show me different looks and I have to do a better job of reading it."
NBA: Siakam leads Pacers past Knicks to force Game 7 in East semifinals
Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and Myles Turner added 17 as the Indiana Pacers rolled to a 116-103 victory over the New York Knicks to force Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday.
Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell each added 15 points, with Nembhard grabbing six rebounds and handing out six assists. Haliburton had nine assists as the Pacers remained perfect in six home games in this postseason.
The winner of Game 7 in New York on Sunday will advance to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.
Jalen Bruson scored 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting after missing his final 11 shots in the first half. Deuce McBride added 20 points with four 3-pointers as the Knicks fell to 0-3 on the road in this series.
Already decimated by injuries, the Knicks lost starting forward Josh Hart in the fourth quarter due to abdominal soreness.
Hart was seen holding his midsection multiple times during the game and asked to be taken out after he had five points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes.
New York is already without All-Star Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Indiana used a 14-6 run in the third quarter to take control, turning a 61-56 lead into a 75-62 advantage. The Pacers maintained at least a 10-point edge the rest of the way.
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