Dallas Mavericks: Signing Kyrie Irving to a long-term extension
After a disastrous season in which they traded the face of their franchise, the Dallas Mavericks have a lot of sorting out to do this summer. Landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft will go a long way in helping this team before the offseason begins. Nevertheless, there are other big-picture decisions that the Mavs must make. And none of them will be easy or that simple.
One of the bigger decisions revolves around whether the Mavs should give Kyrie Irving an extension or not. Entering the final year of his contract, Kyrie is probably going to ask for an extension. However, as he continues to age and the fact that he's coming off a significant injury, I'd argue that signing Kyrie to a long-term extension could end up derailing the future of this franchise. It's a move they should play the wait-and-see approach rather than rushing into.
Denver Nuggets: Not trading Michael Porter Jr.
If the Denver Nuggets end up losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, there's at least a chance that this front office is going to explore some big changes this summer. If they end up going down that path, one potential move will revolve around reshuffling their core around Nikola Jokic. I'd argue that one big mistake the Nuggets should explore is trading a core player who isn't Michael Porter Jr.
If the Nuggets do end up exploring a trade to shake up their core supporting cast around Jokic, they should be trading MPJ over players like Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon. MPJ is a good player, but he simply hasn't been as impactful as he was when he first entered the league. He's too expensive to have the limited output and impact he's had for the Nuggets over the last couple of seasons.