Recently, the Dallas Mavericks resigned Kyrie Irving to a three-year $126 million deal. Barring any trades, this will keep him on the team through the 2025-26 season as long as he picks up his player option and he will become an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason. When his deal expires, Irving will be 33 years old and likely will be beginning to decline.
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With Irving being one of the most sought-after free agents in this year’s class, it was a big win for the Mavericks’ front office to bring him back. However, with the shaky level of play from the Mavericks once Irving joined the roster, some have begun to speculate that Dallas would have been better off letting him walk in free agency or engaging in a sign and trade.
While it is true that the Mavericks went on a losing skid after Irving was traded to the team and Dallas would end up missing the play-in tournament, the fault can not be placed on Irving’s shoulders. The trade that landed him on the roster caused the Mavericks to give up most of their talented role players. As a result of this, Luka Doncic and Irving had little to no help in their attempt to lead the team to the postseason.
With neither player being known for their defensive prowess, it was clear that Dallas would have to find some complimentary pieces in free agency. Along with this, Irving and Doncic did not get much of a chance to share the court together towards the tail end of the regular season due to injuries.
As the duo will be able to build chemistry through the offseason, and the front office has made efforts in bringing in defensive-oriented players, they likely will be in a much better spot in the 2023-24 season. The two are arguably the most talented offensive duo in the league. With the team bringing in quality defenders to surround them with, this could be a very difficult team to keep up with in terms of scoring.
The Mavericks’ hands were tied and they committed themselves to Irving after they gave up almost all of their assets outside of Doncic to acquire him. If they had let him walk in free agency, Doncic would have little to no help around him and he likely would leave the team the first chance he got for an opportunity to compete for a title.
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