Hot Takes with Stephen A Smith is often aimed to make headlines, viral clips, and grab the attention of the masses. A recent discussion in the world of basketball was how stars influence their team's decisions. The supposed analyst argued that Dallas Mavericks fans should blame Luka Doncic for not convincing the front office to keep Jalen Brunson and letting him go to the New York Knicks, via First Take on ESPN.

“We have brought up Brunson in New York, we looked at Milwaukee & held Giannis accountable. Do we hold Luka accountable for not insisting that Dallas keep Brunson? Not only that question. Do we also look at the Dallas Mavericks and ask this question: Was Kyrie a better option than Brunson?” Stephen A Smith said.

Now, this could be bait to get Mavericks fans to lash out against Luka Doncic. However, he does not explain why it is the star's fault at all that the front office decided to move on without Jalen Brunson. It was a four-year, $104 million contract that sealed the deal for the Knicks, which would have taken a lesser hit than Kyrie Irving's, three-year $120 million deal.

Arguably, the Mavericks may have been in a better situation with Brunson. But, this overstates how much a player can impact their front office. If there were any questions raised about this move, shouldn't it have been to Nico Harrison instead?

Smith has not been particularly fond of Doncic. He blasted the Mavericks star after his 73-point performance by saying that ‘the fans did not want to see this.' The vitriol even went as far as calling Doncic ‘depressed during games' in the middle of their losing streaks.

Are these fair takes to have on air?