Kyrie Irving Re-Signing with Mavs Remains' Full Expectation'
DALLAS — The top offseason priority for the Dallas Mavericks remains to re-sign Kyrie Irving. He is eligible to sign up to a five-year, $272.9 million contract if he returns to the Mavs. If he was to outright depart in free agency, the most he could sign with a different team for is a four-year, $201.7 million contract.
Irving was acquired by the Mavs using a trade package consisting of Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick, and multiple second picks. He averaged 27.1 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 60 games this season, earning his eighth All-Star appearance in the process.
During an appearance on ESPN's "SportsCenter" show, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski shared an update on the top names in recent rumors. Among the topics was Kyrie Irving's impending free agency, including reporting suggesting the "full expectation" being that he will re-sign with the Mavs.
"The market for Kyrie Irving [in terms of] legitimate places that he would leave Dallas for that makes sense [and] that are available to him [are] extremely limited," Wojnarwoski said. "Perhaps almost nil. I think the full expectation is that he returns to Dallas."
Based on the presently available information, Wojnarowski views the important details regarding Irving's free agency being the type of contract he signs to return to the Mavs, not about which team he will be joining. It remains to be seen what type of length or guarantees there would be.
"The question will be, 'What kind of a deal does he go back on?' How many years on a contract? I don't think the money will be as much of an issue as how many fully guaranteed years there are for Kyrie Irving," Wojnarowski said. "I think that's where the negotiation will be between him and the Mavericks. If he wants to maximize his money on this deal, the place to do that is in Dallas."
"If he wants a chance to win and make a lot of money, or certainly win at a certain level, playing with Luka Doncic — they certainly have much more to do with that roster, but certainly a very formidable one-two punch with the Mavericks," Wojnarowski explained. "It is back in Dallas again. The question will be, 'How many years is that deal?' What kind of a commitment do the Mavericks make to Kyrie?"
Despite how impactful Irving was offensively alongside Luka Doncic, the Mavs struggled to win games after making the midseason trade. Dallas went 8-12 in games that Irving played and particularly 5-11 in games that Irving and Doncic played together. Regardless, the results offensively when they share the floor is clear. The team's focus remains to bolster their capabilities on defense and rebounding.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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