Kyrie Irving is hardly the most popular player in the NBA, many people have issues with him thanks to his various controversies. So when the Dallas Mavericks traded for him, many criticized the move. It didn’t help that the team fell from a playoff spot to the 11th seed after he joined, either.
The Mavericks have brought Irving back, though, re-signing him on a 3-year, $126 million deal. And Mark Cuban has now defended Kyrie from criticism, claiming that he is simply misunderstood.
“Kyrie just loves basketball and loves going to games, so no, I wasn’t concerned about that,” Cuban stated. “But we traded for him because we wanted him to be a long-term piece, you know? And I think Kyrie’s just misunderstood.
“Everybody sees all the noise and everything around him, but when you actually talk to him, I like him. He’s open, he’s smart, he’s always looking to learn things. He’s an interesting guy.”
"We traded for [Kyrie] because we wanted him to be a long-term piece"@mcuban tells @TheFrankIsola and @TermineRadio why the plan all along was to keep Kyrie with the @dallasmavs #MFFL pic.twitter.com/uzSqkRGkVe
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 11, 2023
Kyrie Irving has excelled individually for the Mavericks, averaging 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in his 20 regular season games with the team. They didn’t quite figure out how to play him and Luka Doncic together last year, but with a full offseason, it might end up looking quite scary by the time basketball gets underway again in 2023-24.
Luka Doncic Wanted Kyrie Irving Back On The Dallas Mavericks
Even though there are questions of fit, Luka Doncic has never had a teammate as remotely talented as Kyrie Irving. And while many suggested that the two stars would clash heads on the Mavericks, Doncic was pushing for the franchise to bring Kyrie back and re-sign him.
“According to multiple Heavy Sports sources, Irving worked hard to gain the trust and faith of his new teammates, but Doncic found it difficult to cede command of the offense. Word that Doncic pushed for Irving’s return may indicate he’s coming around on the need to find harmony and the opportunity for each to enhance the other.”
There are big expectations from the superstar duo next season, they will be crucified if the team doesn’t end up winning a lot of games. Mark Cuban will also come in for criticism if things don’t end up working out. Hopefully, he’s right and Irving is looking to hoop and get back to winning a championship alongside a generational talent like he did in 2016.
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.
