• The Dallas Mavericks are empowering their players to help them build their roster after a disastrous 22/23 season
• Kyrie Irving revealed the front office tried gauging from him the kind of players he wants to play with from upcoming free agent classes
• This is a great move by Dallas to keep their stars happy by considering their advice
Kyrie Irving is settling in with the Dallas Mavericks for a long-term commitment, signing a new contract with the franchise this summer. Irving felt respected and appreciated by the Mavs, who even stayed in touch with Kyrie throughout the summer on possible personnel decisions to build out a roster around him and Luka Doncic.
“They asked me what I thought throughout the summertime. Even in our closing meetings, they asked me questions trying to gauge who I wanted to play with, who I saw on the market, and who in these next couple of free agency classes would be available. It was pretty interesting, so I was looking to the future while being aware it takes time to build chemistry.”
Kyrie Irving talked about last season and how it takes patience to build a great team.
He also mentioned it’s nice the front office inquires his thoughts on roster, they looked at free agents available this offseason and the next couple classes coming up. He had a big smile. 👀 pic.twitter.com/4T0HJ5syi0
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) September 28, 2023
Irving knows that he’s the second star in Dallas behind Doncic, but that doesn’t make him unimportant. The Mavs are keeping him happy by treating him with the respect he didn’t get at previous stops.
The Mavs need Kyrie to produce like the star player he is and the best way to do that is by ensuring he is in the perfect situation possible.
Kyrie Irving Said Dallas Was His No. 1 Destination All Summer
Even with the threat of the Lakers possibly stealing Kyrie from Dallas, the Mavericks took a bold offseason strategy of acquiring young players instead of established veterans. Regardless of the roster construction, Irving claimed that he always wanted to come back to Dallas in the summer because of how much his family loves being here.
“It started with my agent, Shetellia, who is also my stepmother, family-run business, so she has my best interests at heart. It wasn’t too difficult of a process. I had Dallas as number one on my list… I took my time, a few days before free agency, just to be with my family to gauge how they felt about being in Dallas alongside me, and everybody was excited. Even when I got traded here at midseason, a lot of my family was excited, and they were just looking forward to me having peace of mind on and off the court.”
Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 20 games with the Mavericks. With no defense around him and Doncic, the team fell off a cliff and missed the playoffs. But with a decent roster for next season, they’ll be hoping to return to contending in the West.
Luka Doncic Excited To Get A Full Training Camp With Kyrie Irving
One of the reasons behind the Mavs’ failure at the end of last season was the abrupt nature of the Irving trade. Given it was another high-volume guard joining Doncic, the Mavericks needed to have some time for their stars to gel together and figure out an offensive system. The time is now, and Luka Doncic thinks a full training camp will help them build the chemistry that was lacking last season.
“I mean, better for sure. He came in the middle of the season last year. We didn’t have much time [last season]. We went straight to playing games. It takes time to build chemistry, especially on the court. We will have the whole training camp and then the preseason, too. I think it’s going to be way better.”
Luka Doncic is looking forward to having a full training camp and preseason to build continuity with Kyrie Irving, as opposed to jumping right into games like last season.
"I mean, better for sure. He came in the middle of the season last year. We didn't have much time [last… https://t.co/xOvljLmvDL pic.twitter.com/HKQ7gf8Vpk
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) September 28, 2023
Doncic had a sensational individual season, averaging 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists and carrying the Mavericks the entire year. Unfortunately, the offensive load on his body led to him abandoning playing defense and playing through injuries. Hopefully, he’s healed up and ready to go as the Mavericks hope to make noise in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
