The Dallas Mavericks did not waste any time locking up superstar point guard Kyrie Irving to a massive three-year, $126 million contract to begin free agency. After rumors ran rampant that he could leave Dallas, Mark Cuban and company did not mess around. Getting Irving locked up is a massive step towards getting the Mavericks back into NBA Finals contention.
Irving was rumored to have interest from quite a few teams around the league. Among the contenders who were reported to be trying to steal Irving from the Mavs were the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers. Nothing was going to stop Irving from returning to Dallas to continue teaming up with Luka Doncic.
One NBA analyst, Bill Simmons, shared his thoughts on the Irving deal with the Mavericks. He stated that Dallas had to give Irving the contract they gave him because two other teams were offering lucrative contract as well. Irving did not seem terribly enthused with the report.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks & Kyrie Irving Updates
Very rarely do players come out and refute or throw shade at reports that are made. Clearly, this one struck a nerve with Irving. Whether or not the report is true remains to be seen, but Irving seems to be putting those rumors to bed with this response to Simmons.
Last season after being traded to the Mavs by the Brooklyn Nets, Irving was unable to lead his new team to the playoffs. That wasn’t due to his production.
In the 20 games he played with the Mavericks, Irving ended up averaging 27.0 points per game to go along with 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals. Irving also shot 51 percent from the floor and knocked down 39.2 percent of his three-point attempts.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks & Kyrie Irving Updates
Obviously, Kyrie Irving is one of the biggest superstars in the entire NBA. Being able to keep him in town after losing Jalen Brunson in free agency last offseason was a huge success. The Mavericks will once again be a serious force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference this season.
Expect to see the Mavericks continue to look at moves to improve the roster. They do not want to waste their contention window with Doncic and Irving leading the way.
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