The Dallas Mavericks are a mess and there’s very little sign of that changing anytime soon. The current form and a bottomless injury list aren’t helping to calm the outrage throughout the city either, since the Luka Doncic trade. Nico Harrison is the public enemy number one and the only person who was being compassionate with the fans is now also at risk of leaving. Yes, that’s Kyrie Irving, who has played his last game of this season. But will that turn out to be his final Mavs game? There’s no definitive answer to that yet and Mark Cuban has no idea either.
During a recent episode of Your Mom’s House Podcast, Mark Cuban opened up about his side of the story in the aftermath of the Doncic trade. But Cuban was puzzled when he was made aware of the latest rumors surrounding Kyrie’s future with the franchise. The nine-time All-Star has a $44 million player option for 2025-26 and was set for a max extension in the offseason. But now his ACL injury has cast doubts over the nature of the deal to be provided. Anything less than the $313 million contract might upset his camp, leading to a potential exit. Cuban, however, wasn’t aware of this equation.
“I don’t watch the rumor mill… That makes no sense whatsoever,” Cuban said when told by the hosts about the Mavs possibly cutting ties with Irving. “I love Kyrie too. Maybe they’re trying to get rid of the people I like,” the former Shark Tank investor said. He further added how a new owner looks to get rid of the old employees to bring in fresh faces. “Somebody comes in, takes over a new company, and gets rid of the old guys,” he said.
Cuban sold the majority of the franchise back in 2023 and, since then, Patrick Dumont has been the key decision-maker. Dumont recently explained the franchise’s decision to trade Doncic in the guise of professionalism and fitness concerns. That would’ve never happened on Cuban’s watch, as he once famously said, “If I had to choose between my wife & keeping Luka on the Mavs, catch me at my lawyer’s office prepping for a divorce.”
May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban celebrates with guard Kyrie Irving (11) after winning the Western Confrerence Championship against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Thankfully for Mark, there was not a need for a divorce as Doncic was sent packing for LA. Now, his proclamation of love might even end in Kyrie’s exit as he suggested about the Mavs getting rid of the old guys. The host, Robert Smith, suggested Cuban should start talking about how awful Kyrie is to play reverse psychology in the front office. Whether that’d work is up for debate, but sources close to the situation indicate Mavs’ true intentions around Kyrie.
Dallas source confirms Mavs’ plans on Kyrie Irving’s future
Nico Harrison made it clear after the Anthony Davis acquisition that the defense wins titles. Where does Kyrie fit into that philosophy? Only Harrison could provide an explanation just like he did about why Doncic wasn’t the future. But according to a Dallas source, Harrison is planning to keep Kyrie around.
“The goal is to keep Kyrie in Dallas as long as they can. Before the injury, he was definitely on track for a max extension. I think that’s still the case,” Mike Curtis of Dallas Morning News confirmed on Fan Duel TV’s Run It Back. “I don’t think you just wanna have a guy for a year and risk him leaving in free agency the year after. I think they want to lock in as soon as they can,” the reporter added.
Giving Kyrie Irving the 5-year max deal means keeping him till 38. With the latest ACL injury, his return to peak physical condition at 34 remains a doubt too. But the Mavs are betting on the short window they have with Kyrie and Davis. The current season can already be considered an unsalvageable situation, adding more desperation to this win-or-bust situation. Probably enough to give Kyrie exactly what he would want.
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