The Dallas Mavericks have been under great scrutiny for their moves over the years. Two years after letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency to sign with the New York Knicks, they traded away a generational superstar in Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers at this year’s trade deadline.

The Mavericks have let go of two eventual superstars in the past few seasons

Since then, the Mavericks have been seemingly struck with bad luck by the basketball gods. Brunson became a superstar immediately after joining the Knicks when Dallas could have kept him for just $55 million, and Anthony Davis – the player they got in return for Doncic – played just one game with Dallas before suffering an injury and has not played since.

The Doncic trade was the move that set off the fanbase, as many of them felt betrayed by general manager Nico Harrison and the front office for trading away a fan favorite and a superstar talent just one season removed from a finals appearance. Doncic now has the Lakers as the second seed in the West pairing up with LeBron James, while Dallas has trended in the wrong direction. Despite that, former NBA player turned analyst Chandler Parsons thinks letting Brunson walk in free agency was a worse decision.

“Not resigning Jalen Brunson to a $55 million extension could be worse than trading Luka Doncic,” Parsons said on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.

Brunson turned into a superstar the moment he signed with the Knicks

Brunson could have signed a four-year, $55 million extension with Dallas before he even hit the open market. However, they never could agree on a deal and he ended up signing a four-year, $106 million deal with the Knicks fresh off of an outstanding performance in the 2022 playoffs with Dallas.

Brunson immediately rose to become a superstar, making for one of the best ascension stories in NBA history. Last season, he averaged 28.7 points, finished fifth in MVP voting, and recorded four consecutive 40-point games in the postseason. This season, a lot of that success is being replicated, as he is averaging 26.1 points and 7.4 assists, leads the NBA in clutch points, and has led the Knicks to a 40-20 record.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, are now without both Doncic and Brunson and are relying on a much older core led by Davis and Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately for them, their chances of winning a title this year have significantly diminished, as Irving suffered a season-ending torn ACL against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, which will likely keep him out for part of next season as well.

Unless the Mavericks eventually win a title with their current core, they will likely be thinking about how different things could be if they kept both Brunson and Doncic long-term.