Despite a boatload of speculation about Kyrie Irving meeting with teams and testing his value in NBA free agency, the superstar guard made a decision on his future an hour after the market opened and is returning to the Dallas Mavericks on a multi-year deal.
The Dallas Mavericks’ trade for eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving was one of the biggest moves during February’s deadline. However, the one-time champions’ addition to a team led by incumbent superstar Luka Doncic was a massive failure this past season.
The team lost far more than they won with the two-star guards in the lineup, and they tanked their way into the NBA lottery to avoid losing their first-round pick to the New York Knicks. Their horrid finish to the season opened the door to speculation that the mercurial star may not return to Big-D next season. Well, the debate is now over.
Dallas Mavericks bring back Kyrie Irving on a three-year deal with a player option
On Friday, just a little over an hour after NBA free agency opened at 6 PM ET, The Athletic’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that “Kyrie Irving has agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract to return to the Dallas Mavericks.”
- Kyrie Irving stats (’22-’23): 27.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 38% 3PT
An interesting note to the deal that will pay the oft-injured star over $40 million annually is that the final year of the pact is a player option that will allow Irving to test the free agent market once again at 33 years old if he so chooses.
The Dallas Mavericks still have work to do to improve the lineup, and they have been linked to a potential blockbuster trade for Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton since the NBA Draft, but re-signing Kyrie Irving was a deal they needed to complete.