Suns’ Kyrie Irving Trade Pursuit ‘Not Over’; What It Means For Mavs
Although the Dallas Mavericks appear to be in an excellent spot right now after trading for Kyrie Irving on Sunday, that’s not going to stop the national media from fear mongering Mavs fans.
Instead of talking about how the Mavs and Irving could end up being a perfect match for each other, all we’ve heard over the last four days is how he could still end up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason — a team that is far less talented than the Mavs with a more uncertain future due to LeBron James being 38 years old.
Those takes have only expanded after the Brooklyn Nets traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is now telling us to keep an eye on the Suns still making a push for Irving in the summer after failing to outbid the Mavs for him a few days ago.
“If you think this is over, it ain’t over,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s Get Up. “Kyrie really was interested in being in Phoenix, so just start thinking about that.”
Or — and hear us out — why can’t the national media talk more about how welcomed and happy Irving has felt since uniting with the Mavs around 72 hours ago? Why can’t they talk about the Mavs beating a fully-healthy Los Angeles Clippers team on the road in Irving’s debut when Luka Doncic is still out due to a heel injury?
If Irving does eventually want to leave in the summer, the Mavs will have some solid fallback options given that they have his Bird Rights. If Irving is going to get the contract he wants from any team other than the Mavs, it will have to be a sign-and-trade.
The Mavs have been linked to Suns big man Deandre Ayton, and that could be a factor later on if Irving doesn't want to re-sign in Dallas. But that's a discussion for another day.
Irving is with Doncic in the present, and the goal is for this pairing to result in a championship, no matter how much others want to push Irving to Los Angeles or Phoenix.
"I've had nothing but great things to say about the Dallas Mavericks," Irving said. "This is a well-coached team. They've had some success in the past. Just a well-run organization. They told me to be myself and play basketball at a high level. Pretty easy."
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