Mavs' Kyrie Irving Details NBA Free Agency Process: 'Dallas Was No. 1 on My List'
DALLAS — As the Dallas Mavericks prepare for the 2023-24 season, the continued acclimation of Kyrie Irving remains a focus. When the midseason trade with the Brooklyn Nets occurred in February, the Mavs made the deal understanding that Irving would reach free agency in the summer after finishing the final year of his previous deal.
Irving re-signed with the Mavs on a three-year, $120 million contract, with the potential to reach $126 million, depending on performance incentives. He credits the work of his agent and stepmom, Shetellia Riley Irving, for working on the contract. Irving also expressed that Dallas was atop his list of preferred destinations.
"It started with my agent, Shetellia, who is also my stepmother, family-run business, so she has my best interests at heart," Irving said. "It wasn't too difficult of a process. I had Dallas as number one on my list."
While the top destination on Irving's list was the Mavs, he did survey the landscape for his possible options before agreeing to his deal with Dallas. He consulted his family throughout the decision-making process before concluding that re-signing with the Mavs would be in the best interest of his career both on and off the court.
"I looked elsewhere at salary cap opportunities where I could fit in with other guys around the league, but it just wasn't much space," Irving said. "With me being 31, 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. I took everything into account.”
Irving's family was excited when the midseason trade that brought him to Dallas occurred, and they continued to share that sentiment when he consulted them during the free-agency process.
"I took my time, a few days before free agency, just to be with my family to gauge how they felt about being in Dallas alongside me, and everybody was excited," Irving said. "Even when I got traded here at midseason, a lot of my family was excited, and they were just looking forward to me having peace of mind on and off the court.
"I had already dealt with enough this past season, or the past two seasons, so they knew that I just wanted a lot of that off my back and my shoulders," Irving explained. "There was a feeling like I had to be Superman or I had to be perfect. I just wanted to be myself … just figuring myself out.
"I think this is the best place to do it and continue to mature and grow as a man.”
While most of Irving's contract is fully guaranteed, there is roughly $6 million in total incentives that could make it go from being worth $120 million to $126 million. Half the incentives are based on him playing at least 65 games annually to earn $1 million. He would earn another $1 million per season each time the Mavs win 50 or more games, and he plays at least 58 games. He views those details as providing accountability for himself to play as many games as possible.
"Some friendly terms [in the contract]," Irving said. "I wanted everything that was structured in my contract, incentive-wise, to be based on production, and that was it: wins and how many games I'm playing. I hear all the noise, so I just wanted to make sure that I had some friendly terms but also some realistic expectations for myself going into the season.
"I'm looking to just play as many games as possible. It's a long season. We want to peak at the right time," Irving explained. "The training staff here is really smart, really experienced. They've had different guys coming through the organization where they've had to be aware of their previous injury history and take it easy, but also, the onus is being prepared for every single game.”
"I appreciate that accountability and them giving me my space to grow and figure out myself as I get older and enjoy this prime of mine," Irving explained further. "I have a different body now, coming into my 30s. I have to take care of it differently than I did in my twenties. I can't just get up and roll out of bed, not stretch or do anything to activate my body or warm up. It's been an adjustment, but I'm having fun and to be able to do it with this veteran group and veteran coaching staff as well. It helps out a lot. Something that Nico and Jason both said after the season was that they feel that they feel very strongly."
Despite having to make his own free agency decision, Irving remained involved in the Mavs' offseason moves. He shared suggestions regarding who he wanted to play with and analyzed some of the options available in the market. He even alluded to recruiting more talent to the team next offseason and in the coming years.
"I'm happy about the moves," Irving said. "They asked me what I thought throughout the summertime. Even in our closing meetings, they just asked me questions, trying to gauge who I wanted to play with and who I saw on the market. Who in this next free agency class and the next couple of free agency classes will be available? Pretty interesting.
Irving is highly encouraged by the potential of what the team can achieve by staying patient and building continuity together. With a talent like Luka Doncic to set the tone for an offense by creating a significant amount of open looks, he sees the potential of a team with both of their skill sets as being strong.
"I was looking towards the future while also being aware that it takes time to build a great team, takes time to build chemistry, and with Luka and me, we're so skilled he makes the game easy for everyone around him," Irving said. "I think we got a lot of open shots last year because of how much attention he garnered. I was coming in trying to alleviate some of that pressure."
With greater continuity established together, Irving feels that he and Doncic will have a more seamless understanding of how to attack alongside each other while admitting there were times when they were too passive. It remains a learning experience for everyone involved, but he sees the potential in the pairing.
"A few times, I think we were being too passive with one another. We're both killers on the court. Everybody knows it. We want to win," Irving said. "We must continue to have that consistent mentality and lead the team as best we can alongside other guys with experience in this league or young guys we have to coach even more. It's all been a learning experience."
After the midseason trade, Irving felt the limited number of games he had with the Mavs placed the group into a pressured situation that came with additional obstacles, including injuries to both superstar players. With a fresh set of circumstances, Irving is confident in what the team can achieve.
"It was so quick last year, and there was so much pressure on us to win now, win big, and it's Luka and Kyrie. Why can't you guys win games? So we were answering many questions that, honestly, I don't think we were ready for health is everything in this league," Irving said. "We were not one hundred percent going through last season and tried to do the best we could mentally, emotionally, and physically. We have to give ourselves some grace and some credit. We made it through."
"We've had almost six months off, at least some of us, you know, Luke has been playing in the World Cup, Josh played in the World Cup, Dwight, too," Irving explained. "So, guys have been playing, but I think more or less I'm looking forward to starting from day one like we're doing now."
The Mavs were busy this offseason, beginning with the addition of rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, along with veteran players like Grant Williams, Richaun Holmes, Seth Curry, and Dante Exum. Irving is intrigued by the new roster and shared his insight with the front office.
"We have the pieces out there, some young guys that are incredibly active; we drafted well, and just to be included in that process felt good," Irving said. "I was being asked questions about what I thought and how our pieces would fit around. But also, I'm not the central focused."
During the stretch run of last season, Irving played through plantar fasciitis, which caused him to be in and out of the lineup at times. He has healed from the long offseason the Mavs had after ultimately not qualifying for the play-in tournament after finishing with a 38-44 record. He wants the team to get off to a hot start and understands that health is an important factor.
"Physically, I'm great," Irving said. "I'm taking my time in this training camp. It's my 13th season, so I've been through a few training camps, and my focus this year, or my approach, is to focus on being prepared and healthy and peaking at the right time.
"Coming into every season, you want to start hot and do everything the right way, but it's impossible to be perfect at the beginning of the season," Irving explained. "We have a new group. We have some things to figure out still, so we have to give each other grace for that.
Looking ahead to the Mavs' preseason schedule — featuring international games in Abu Dhabi and Madrid — Irving views it as a prime opportunity for the team to build an off-court bond. The schedule makes training camp shorter due to the travel required, but the potential to build relationships with each other may be greater.
"It's been fun to think about going to Abu Dhabi, going to Madrid, and having an opportunity to play in front of an international community that supports the game of basketball," Irving said. "We can build camaraderie. This is what I was talking about last year when we got to get out and get to know one another on different planes or different environments. I feel like we get a chance to do that overseas. It is a quick training camp, but we can't make an excuse for that.
"We just got to put in our two-a-days and continue to get in better shape. And that's what this preseason is about," Irving explained. "It's a short amount of days, a lot of work in those short days. We'll get some rest on the back end when we come back home. These next two weeks will have their ups and downs. I want to go into these games with a clear mentality that we want to win, and we want to continue to get better and dive deeper into the relationships that will matter for us later down in the season."
The Mavs begin the regular season on Oct. 25 in a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
