The non-NBA player who can salvage Mavericks' shocking Luka Doncic trade
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Generational superstars are extremely rare in sports. When one joins a team, it excites not just an entire fan base, but an entire city and even state. Some teams in professional sports have only had one or two generational superstars, while others have had many. The Dallas Mavericks have had two. Dirk Nowitzki spent his entire career in Dallas and led the team to a championship, while Luka Doncic was recently traded in arguably the most shocking deal in NBA history.
The Dallas Cowboys may be the most popular team in the city, but Doncic was the generational superstar who was beloved in Dallas. Doncic was acquired on draft night in 2018, developed into an MVP candidate, and led the Mavs to the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season.
Kyrie Irving is a tremendous player, but he is 32 years old and has only spent a few seasons in Dallas. Anthony Davis, who the Mavs acquired in the trade for Doncic, is 31 and although he is an MVP candidate, he also would not be regarded as a generational superstar.
So who can fill Luka Doncic’s shoes? Maybe we should take a look at other Dallas sports teams.
The Cowboys, Rangers, Stars and Wings all have a number of talented players. But Dak Prescott, Corey Seager, Jason Robertson and Arike Ogunbowale simply aren’t on Doncic’s level in reference to pure talent, popularity and being completely embraced by the entire city.
Looking at the Wings, Ogunbowale is extremely underrated. The WNBA’s continued increase in popularity should help matters.
However, which professional athlete will be the next face of Dallas sports? Can anyone reach Doncic’s level? Luka is a global star, so it will be difficult, but there is a candidate to become the next face of Dallas sports, and that candidate isn’t even a professional athlete as of this story’s writing.
Is Paige Bueckers on track to become the next face of Dallas sports following Luka Doncic trade?
Women’s sports has seen a drastic increase in popularity over the past few years. A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have led the way, and current stars at the WNBA and college level are earning more respect as a result.
The Wings received the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft via the lottery. Unless UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers opts to return to college for her final season of eligibility, she is expected to be selected first overall by the Wings. Now Bueckers’ popularity isn’t as extreme as Clark and Reese, but she is still among the most well-known athletes in college sports right now.
With Dallas basketball fans feeling frustrated at the moment, now is the perfect time for a player on the Wings to truly become embraced by an entire city.
Arike Ogunbowale is also a candidate, but as unfair as it is, the WNBA simply wasn’t as popular for the first few years of her career. With many new women’s basketball fans now paying attention to the league, a player with hype around them leading into the draft is what will excite fans.
This is obviously a lot of pressure to place on a player who is still at the college basketball level. But if Bueckers does indeed enter the draft and ends up having a big rookie season, now is the perfect time for a women’s sports star to become a face of a city’s sports teams.
Paige Bueckers may never be on Luka Doncic’s level given his impact from a global standpoint, but she can at least help to fill the void.
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