DALLAS — When Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison took the podium to answer for a season where his team went 38-44 and finished 11th in the Western Conference, he grabbed a bottle of water. He probably needed something stronger. 

The elephant in the room, one of many, was Luka Doncic and his happiness. When the Mavericks waved the white flag in the final two games of the season, it was a decision that Doncic initially wasn't a fan of. He wanted to continue playing as long as the Mavericks had a mathematical shot at reaching the NBA Play-In Tournament. 

Dallas lost the final two games of a season Doncic described as "disappointing." It was reported during the weekend that Doncic, who has been frustrated since the organization let Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, could request a trade as soon as 2024 if Dallas didn't improve substantially before then. But then after Sunday's season finale, Doncic came out in his exit interview and said he is happy in Dallas. Fast forward to Tuesday, and it was Harrison's turn to answer the pending question of how exactly the Mavs can keep Doncic happy. His answer was simple — win. 

“I take his word for it,” Harrison said of Doncic's comments that he is happy in Dallas. “He says he wants to be here. He’s under contract, so I don’t go to sleep at night worried about ‘Is Luka going to be a Maverick?’ because he is a Maverick and he’s under contract.

“Obviously if that changes, then we’ll have to reevaluate it, but I think our job really to keep Luka happy, if you will, is surround him [with] the right players to help him win. I think Luka’s a talent that deserves that.”

Part of keeping Doncic happy is putting together a roster that can compete with the other contenders in the Western Conference. 

Harrison described it as an "arms race," with which he needs to help the Mavericks "get more arms."

Part of that philosophy of acquiring elite talent was the governing school of thought behind the mid-season trade Harrison made to bring in All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. 

It was a trade Doncic and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd signed off on. The Mavs sent away Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith for Irving. And though the pairing of Doncic and Irving didn't yield the instant results many expected (5-11), it is a duo Harrison still believes in. 

"When you have that talented of a player, that talented of two players, I think they work together," Harrison said. "I really think it’s the players around them. I think the players around them kind of knowing their role with having those two guys out on the floor at the same time. I think that’s the thing that we need to work on.”

Priority No. 1 heading into the offseason is retaining Irving on a long-term contract.  Harrison relayed a level of confidence that Irving will, at least, negotiate with Dallas in good faith. 

It's been reported that Irving is seeking a full-length five-year, $272 million extension. Mavericks governor Mark Cuban was non-committal regarding if he would offer Irving the contract of his desires. 

“I guess there’s always too high a price," Cuban said on April 5. 

Harrison didn't divulge any set contract expectations either during his end-of-season meeting. 

“I don’t think that’s fair to talk about that because that’s going to be part of the negotiations when we’re allowed to actually do it," he said. "Kyrie is definitely somebody that we want here, and we’re excited about the potential of him being here.”

But outside of Irving and Doncic, Harrison wants the Mavs to focus on three familiar issues regarding personnel around the team's stars: defense, rebounding, and basketball IQ. 

“When you have two guys at that level, you’ve got to have players that can think the game and not just play it,” Harrison said. “To have both of them at the same time, I think you need surrounding players that have a high IQ.”

Fair enough. Keeping Doncic happy starts with his teammates and ends with on-court results. Dallas' star may not request a trade soon, but if this summer doesn't go as planned, the organization could be looking at darker days ahead. 

“To fans that are frustrated, they should be frustrated,” Harrison said. “I’m frustrated. This year is not acceptable. Nobody can be harder on myself than I am. I take my job serious and wins and losses and not reaching our goals — I feel for them, and the only confidence I can give them is we’re going to evaluate everything, and we’re not going to be in this position again.”

That is a promise Harrison must keep, or else the next time Dallas finds itself in a similar position, outside of the NBA Playoff picture, it could be without the player that pushed the franchise back into relevancy.