NBA Updates PH – Even though they were tired, the Mavericks had no other choice in NBA free agency 2023.
It was the best choice for Kyrie Irving, who got what he wanted even though most people thought he didn’t have much power.
Both sides made mistakes in the past, which is why they need each other now. They now have to fight to build around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, hoping that they’ll play well together and that the other pieces will make this relationship even stronger.
Kyrie Irving’s three-year deal is worth $126 million, less than what Fred VanVleet got from the Houston Rockets, whom Irving was reported to visit in the next few days.
Irving’s pay is lower than it used to be because young players’ contracts have been extended. This is a shock to people who remember a different NBA since the salary cap has nearly doubled from $70 million in 2015-16 to $136 million in 2023-24.
Salaries have gone up and will keep going up over the next couple of years, so the huge amounts Houston and Dallas paid will seem alright in a few years.
If that was who Dallas was betting against, Kyrie Irving didn’t need to do anything else. Even though having Irving on your team brings a lot of issues and internal fighting, you can’t deny how good he is.
And above all else, Irving feels like he is wanted. He’s not easy to like, but Kyrie Irving knows he’s not part of a package deal and won’t be tolerated but welcomed. This is a big plus for Dallas.
That might be half the fight or a way to get the best results possible.
He is more than the guy on LeBron James’ team who made a shot in the Finals seven years ago and scored 41 points in an elimination game in the same series. Given everything that comes with Irving, it’s hard to believe but he’s a better basketball player than the 2016 All-Star.
He needs to stay on the court and work toward the team’s goals. Kyrie Irving never gets into the same trouble; he gets into different ones that often come out of nowhere. His Bingo board of things that can make him miss games would look like the word “imaginative.”
But when he has the ball, he is hypnotic and puts people under his spell. He and Doni didn’t play together on the court very much last season. They only played 10 games together, and their 3-7 record needs to be a bigger sample size to make good predictions about how this will go.
In those 20 games in Dallas, Kyrie Irving shot 51/39/94 and averaged 27 points and six assists per game, which isn’t easy to do with Doncic controlling more than a third of the time on the court.
There’s a lot of room for the two to grow, and Jason Kidd could build a defense around these two scoring wizards if he had the right players. Kidd wasn’t afraid to deal with Irving when they were trying to make the deal, and he’s not going to change his mind now.
Kyrie Irving’s schedule is his schedule, which is also part of the Mavericks’ play. Irving is the best second star this series has ever had, and maybe ever. Steve Nash didn’t work out as Dirk Nowitzki’s co-pilot, and Josh Howard was the only player who wasn’t named Doncic or Nowitzki to make the All-Star team in almost 20 years, and that was only because of injuries.
From the defenders and side players Doni has played with to Kristaps Porziis, there has yet to be a good match for him.
But Kyrie Irving was more than ready to take on the task. Maybe because of how badly he left Brooklyn, where a dream turned into a Nightmare on Atlantic Ave, then a remake, and then another one, Irving knows he can save good chances.
That’s not the same thing as power, though, as Dallas admitted when they gave up the guts of a Western Conference finalist to get him in the middle of last season.
If they had tried to play hardball with Irving, they would have looked like Philly Southwest and wasted valuable time on the franchise player’s running clock. The 76ers’ tinkering with James Harden may have led to a stalemate since 76ers general manager Daryl Morey has never traded stars for anything less than stars, and Harden realized that his double-digit salary sacrifice wouldn’t be returned this summer.
If Morey is willing to let the Harden story go on for a long time, it could cost him in the long run. He did that with Ben Simmons and got Harden in return, but he never got past the draft’s second round.
Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Nico Harrison, the general manager, knew that playing dumb games would only lead to stupid results, so when they decided to take a chance on Kyrie Irving, given the small sample size, they were pretty much committed to seeing this through.
Do you hold your breath for Irving and hope he’ll be a steady player on a team that he knows wants him instead of one that puts up with him? Yes, still. There is still room for more moves to be made on top of the small ones that happened on draft night and the deal with Seth Curry hours after Irving’s commitment.
But it’s better than trying to find a way to help Irving leave for a team that might be good in the Western Conference and make your life a daily hell.
You want to set up a situation where both sides are fully aware of what is going on. Both sides now being together is better than being alone in the wild. This is not a forced agreement. And both sides know that trust is the most important thing for success.
FAQs
Why was staying with the Mavericks the best choice for Kyrie Irving in NBA free agency in 2023?
Despite some issues and internal fighting, Irving is a talented player who knows he is wanted by the Mavericks, which is a big plus for him. He can contribute to the team and work towards their goals, and the Mavericks offer him the opportunity to be a key player alongside Luka Doncic. Additionally, other potential destinations may have been less favorable for Irving.
How does Kyrie Irving’s contract compare to other players in the league?
Irving’s three-year deal with the Mavericks is worth $126 million, which is lower than what Fred VanVleet received from the Houston Rockets. However, this discrepancy can be attributed to the changing landscape of NBA contracts, with the salary cap nearly doubling from $70 million in 2015-16 to $136 million in 2023-24. Salaries are expected to continue rising, so the amounts paid by Houston and Dallas will likely seem reasonable.
What are the prospects of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic playing together?
Irving and Doncic only played 10 games together in the previous season, resulting in a 3-7 record. However, their potential as a duo is promising. Irving’s offensive abilities, shooting percentages, and playmaking skills were notable during his time in Dallas. With coach Jason Kidd’s guidance and the right supporting cast, there is room for growth and the potential to build a strong defense around these two scoring talents. The sample size of their on-court partnership needs to expand to make accurate predictions about their future success.
