Kyrie Irving is one of the best point guards in the league at the moment. He also happens to be one of the smartest players around as well, with the ability to score and facilitate the ball. Midway through the 2022-23 season, the 31-year-old was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks. His relationship with the Nets wasn’t stable due to his off-court antics.
On joining the Mavericks, he was paired with Luka Doncic for the second half of the season. Dallas was on a good path before the trade took place and they were on pace to make the playoffs. To everyone’s surprise, the Mavericks started to decline after Irving’s entrance. Several fans and experts claimed that Doncic and Irving did not have good chemistry or didn’t get along well.
Kyrie Irving said he just told a Mavs Staffer he wished he would’ve been drafted by the Mavs because of the way the organization supports players and “wraps their arms around you.” pic.twitter.com/qKDDD8Zp16
— Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) September 28, 2023
However, the Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban squashed all rumors about Kyrie Irving’s poor relationship with his All-Star teammate. Cuban stated that Irving knows exactly what he is to the team and where his responsibilities stand. The owner further claimed that Irving recognizes that Dallas is Luka’s team as well. Mark states that Irving and Doncic were never the problem but it was the other players who failed to put in the effort to win.
Kyrie Irving could possibly retire with the Dallas Mavericks
Kyrie Irving signed a four-year deal with the Nets back in 2019 which was worth $136.4 million. The contract was valid until the 2022-23 season after which he became a free agent. This off-season, there were rumors regarding Irving’s potential exit from the Mavericks. Some rumors linked him to the Lakers hinting at a possible reunion with LeBron James. However, sources later revealed that Irving was trying to recruit James to come to Dallas.
The Mavericks managed to offer him a $120 million three-year deal and he accepted. It turns out that Kyrie Irving put a lot of thought into this deal before signing it. During a recent press conference, he said, “It wasn’t too difficult of a process. Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list. Obviously, I looked elsewhere: salary cap, opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league, but just wasn’t much space.”
He added, “And me being 31 now I had to have a different vantage point. And I felt like I could, not just settle here, but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace… So I took everything into account. I took my time, a few days before free agency, just to be with my family, gauge how they felt about being in Dallas alongside me and everybody was excited.”
Kyrie Irving also mentioned that his family was happy that he found himself a home in Dallas. He claimed that they were happy to see him at peace especially after the turbulent two seasons he spent in Brooklyn. The Mavericks are certainly a talented team, but they will have to work harder next season to prove their worth.