Kyrie Irving spoke with NBA reporters on September 28 and the All-Star point guard talked about why he re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency this offseason. Irving re-signed with Dallas on a three-year, $126 million contract on the first day of free agency.
“It wasn’t too difficult of a process,” Irving said. “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 there just wasn’t much space. 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.”
Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 20 games with the Mavericks last season. He finished the 2022-23 season with averages of 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists with the Brooklyn Nets and Mavericks.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks Updates
“So I took everything into account,” Irving continued. “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. I mean, even when I got traded here, midseason, a lot of my family was excited and they were just looking forward to me having a peace of mind just on the court and off the court.”
Irving has a 15% trade kicker in his new contract with the Mavericks. A trade kicker is the percentage of a player’s salary that is awarded as a bonus in the event of a trade.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks Updates
Dallas won just 38 games in 2022-23. The team was only 5-11 in games Luka Doncic and Irving played together. That was the worst winning percentage (.313) for a pair of teammates who were both All-Stars since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
