In the NBA, in-season free agency signings and trades don’t typically move the needle as much as offseason moves do.
With that being said, trading for Kyrie Irving at this season’s deadline was quite the splash for the Dallas Mavericks. So much so that they might as well have tucked in their knees and yelled out ‘cannonball!’ to the rest of the league.
Trading for Irving brings many question marks, including his upcoming free agency and what a potential new contract would look like in Dallas.
In NBA insider Marc Stein’s newsletter from Monday morning, he spoke on Irving’s short stint in Dallas so far and the chances of long-term deal in free agency that could keep him with the Mavs beyond this season.
“The early signals emanating from Mavsland suggest that a multi-year deal for Irving is certainly feasible, but the general uncertainty stemming from his free agent-to-be status creates a layer of pressure felt at all levels by Dallas,” Stein wrote.
The pressure Stein mentioned is certainly on for the Mavericks to not just perform well in the postseason with a second star next to Doncic, but to not lose another valuable asset for nothing as the franchise did last offseason with Jalen Brunson.
Acquiring another ball-dominant superstar like Irving to play alongside Doncic in the middle of the season leaves little time to truly gain a rhythm amongst each other, especially when considering both stars have been battling nagging injuries in recent weeks. With the cluster of parity that is the Western Conference playoff picture, the Mavericks’ duo must get healthy, and on the same page, rather quickly if they want this thing to go as smoothly as it can before the big offseason hits.
“The Mavericks simply need the partnership to not just work but flourish so they can A) feel better about a long-term outlay to Irving and B) then devote the requisite energy to addressing the various (and significant) roster holes beyond the backcourt,” Stein wrote.
For Irving, you never truly know what he’s going to do or want — he’s simply the league’s biggest wildcard in that regard. As for competition to sign him away from Dallas, Stein mentioned the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns as the most frequently rumored teams, which goes back to the trade deadline, but predicting anything regarding Irving is “no layup.”
The Mavs might have questions about giving Irving a long-term contract to a 30-year-old point guard with an injury history, but given what Dallas gave up to get him, they might not have much of a choice. Regardless, how the Mavs perform in the postseason could determine comfortable they become with meeting Irving’s contract desires.
Source: yardbarker.com
