The Dallas Mavericks community is caught in a whirlwind of emotions. Ever since Luka Doncic’s trade, the fans’ outrage has been felt strongly. The American Airlines Center is harboring animosity during games. However, for the Mavs players, especially Kyrie Irving, the situation is tougher. He had grown closer to Doncic even outside the court to the point that “our families getting to know each other,”.
And in such times of emotional turmoil, Irving has related to the fans.
After the loss to the Kings where several fans were ejected, Irving spoke from a place of sympathy for the fans. “It’s the cycle of emotions you know just the hate the anger The grieving and then the passion,” the maverick star said about the loud boos in the arena. KAI related it to his own experience when he felt infuriated about the New Jersey Nets moving to Brooklyn.
His sentiments though indicate the process of healing. He understands that fans require time to process and make peace with Doncic leaving. And as enigmatic and controversial Irving may have been with his past teams, Brian Windhorst feels the Mavs need to take a page out of his book in these times.
Kyrie Irving on the reactions from fans since the Luka Doncic trade:
“I think it’s graduated from just like hate to anger, the cycle of emotions. The hate, the anger, the grieving, and then the passion…I think it’s just part of the process of what we’re all dealing with, as not… pic.twitter.com/j8yPtuFhOX
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) February 11, 2025
“I never thought I would say the words I’m about to say. I’m very appreciative of the balanced, rational, and calming viewpoint of Kyrie Irving throughout this process because he seems to be repeatedly able to both make a coalition attempt at forming and showing empathy with the fans and also support for Luka and support for his teammates. I actually think it might be a good idea if the Mavericks organization would reach out to Kyrie to let him guide them in this time of strife because everything he is saying is actually calming,” Windy said on Hoop Collective.
Likewise, the fans’ rage isn’t coming to calm overnight. With Anthony Davis out for a prolonged period, it’s probably going to last longer. But rather than aggravating their emotions, it might be better for the Mavericks to endure the reaction. The fans lost their talisman. Some of those reactions are bound to leak.
The Mavericks could have a tough offseason
With Doncic out, Kyrie Irving has pushed himself to be the anchor for the Dallas Mavericks. He’s averaging 24.4 points and has become the leader of the team. Furthermore, the fans adore the former number-one overall pick due to his dedication and commitment to the franchise. However, with Doncic gone, he is also in a place of power.
It happened inadvertently. But Irving has the option to sign a $240 million extension in the offseason. With the Slovenian, the Mavericks had the space to negotiate the terms to be more friendly. However, since they decided to offload Doncic, that leverage has shifted into the hands of Kyrie Irving.
And Tim Bontemps feels it guarantees him an exorbitant contract in the summer.
“There’s one winner in Dallas right now, and it’s Kyrie Irving, who now has maximum leverage to get a gigantic contract this summer and is quite clearly the guy totally running the ship with the Mavs,” Bontemps said. “He’s been a big presence in the locker room since he got there. But I mean, it’s his show now…And, you know, his free agency this summer was going to be rather interesting to see how it was handled. Well, now it shouldn’t be very interesting. Like, he should be getting the bag,”.
Having brought Davis with the purpose of pushing for a title, Kyrie Irving naturally becomes the cornerstone to build their immediate future around. He has showcased the ability to stay healthy and remains to be as sharp as ever. With their vision, an extension seems imminent for Irving.
But at the same time considering he will be 37 by the time his contract comes to an end, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks might hesitate to offer the whole amount. The complication is they have nobody else to pay such a lucrative sum to aside from KAI. Do you think Irving will decline his player option for a larger contract or will the Mavs opt for a small championship window? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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