By Alex Al-Kazzaz
It appears that the Dallas Mavericks managed to find a way to retain the eight-year NBA All-Star they acquired back in February from the Brooklyn Nets. Kyrie Irving has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with the Mavericks. This moves come just as the free agency commenced, which Irving entered as an unrestricted free agent.
Irving, 31, has had quite an interesting career. Interesting and controversial. After winning the NBA championship in tremendous fashion back in 2016, it looked as though his future would be nothing but bright. Quite frankly, to say that it's been a roller coaster would be quite an understatement. Irving requested a trade from Cleveland in 2017, which was granted resulting in him landing in Boston where he lasted for two seasons. In 2019, Irving would leave Boston to sign with Brooklyn where there we high hopes for him and the team, and the entire experiment resulted in an abject failure largely due to injuries lack of success on the court, primarily in the playoffs.
The Mavericks are coming off an awful season. From failing to qualify for the playoffs to amassing a record of 5-11 with both Irving and Luka Doncic on the court together. In addition, Dallas finished 9-18 (8-12 with Irving playing) following Irving's arrival. Falling from sixth in the Western Conference to a 11th place finish. Dallas has not been the same since their memorable championship triumph in 2011. They're determined to build a team strong enough to be back into the title picture. Depth is one of the biggest problems the team has at the moment, and that's what they need to work on the most.
Irving was reportedly linked with the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers before re-signing with Dallas. Considering his past with LeBron James, it's no surprise that the Lakers were in the mix. It's rather perplexing Irving would snub the likes of the Suns and Heat in favor of Dallas. Now that Irving is not going anywhere, the franchise is hoping to turn things around this coming season.
Last season, with the Mavericks, Irving averaged 27 points per game along with an average of five rebounds and six assists per game. The stats are respectable, but as mentioned previously, Irving's health is the main concern. Dallas is really looking to set up reliable depth on the roster and be able to improve the chemistry between Doncic and Irving.