27 May 2023 , 16:37
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The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly made a decision on the future of Kyrie Irving.
Irving’s contract with the Mavericks is set to expire this summer, at which point he is expected to enter free agency. As a result, there has been plenty of speculation around his future in Dallas and whether or not he will stay or sign for a new team.
In an ideal world, the Mavericks would re-sign Irving for next season. The 31-year-old only moved to Dallas in February after a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, and scored 539 points in his 20 games in the closing months of the season with an average of 27.0 points-per-game.
Irving has now played 11 seasons in the NBA since being drafted in 2011 with the number one overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won the NBA Championship with the Cavs in 2016, and is an eight-time All-Star.
Even after his short stint with the Mavericks, his future in Dallas remains uncertain. And a report in The Athletic has provided an update on where the franchise stands regarding a potential new deal.
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According to the report, the possibility of a sign-and-trade for Irving is not on the cards for the Mavericks. Such a deal would involve Irving signing a new deal but then immediately being traded to a new team.
These deals allow teams who are over the salary cap to go over when they re-sign their own players. And by trading the player to another team, they can then in return get either new players, draft picks or cash.
Kyrie Irving was only traded to the Dallas Mavericks from the Brooklyn Nets in February (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)In the case of Irving, it has been rumoured that a sign-and-trade could happen with the Los Angeles Lakers. Irving is known to be friends with Lakers star LeBron James, which has fuelled the speculation.
The report goes on to say that it’s highly unlikely that the Mavericks would consider helping the Lakers by agreeing to a sign-and-trade involving Irving. This is due to Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves being in a similar position with his contract set to expire this summer.
It’s rumoured that the Lakers do not have enough salary cap room to be able to sign Irving as a free agent. That has led to speculation that the Mavericks could help get a deal over the line by agreeing to a sign-and-trade, which is something that is dismissed in the report.
The article goes further by saying that the Mavericks plan to tell Irving up front the contract that they plan to offer him. It’s also stated that they know they have the most “appealing offer”, but it’s also known that the 31-year-old still has every right to leave as a free agent.