Who will be the next NBA star to play their entire career with one team?

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 18: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 18, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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5. Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is 20 years old and already arguably the most valuable asset in the NBA. Considering his age, game, impact, salary, and the fact that the Mavs have team control on him through theoretically the next seven seasons, Dallas wouldn’t pick up the phone regarding an offer – not for Kawhi, not for AD, not for KAT…not for anyone.

Of course, any notion of team control in this league is purely theoretical because if Luka Doncic wakes up tomorrow morning and decides he likes the sight of palm trees or skyscrapers in the morning, there’s really not much Marc Cuban can do about it.

We’re also talking about someone who has grown up idolizing LeBron James as both a basketball player and a brand, and no one has crafted their legacy through carefully planned zip code-hopping more than the King himself. If James had enough gumption to leave his hometown team twice, what would stop Luka from jettisoning one that’s a literal world away from where he’s from?

Simple: he’s smart. James won despite Dan Gilbert, not because of him. Marc Cuban may have been at the helm for the most embarrassing fiasco any NBA owner has had this side of Donald Sterling, but he’s also a proven commodity when it comes to ensuring his basketball operations are top-notch. The infrastructure is in place for good things to happen.

Plus, if Doncic didn’t already have an idea of what it means to spend your entire career playing for the Mavs, after watching the love lavished upon Dirk Nowitzki over the last year, he does now. It feels eerily similar to the David & Tim situation from across the state, except without nearly as much time spent playing alongside one another.

Even at 20, he belongs here.

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