- Mark Cuban’s recent comments about Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks may upset Kyrie Irving
- NBA fans think Irving may request a trade
- Kyrie signed a three-year, $126 million deal with the Mavericks this summer
The Dallas Mavericks will be one of the teams to keep an eye on in the Western Conference during the 2023-24 NBA season. The dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic can help the franchise fulfill its dream of winning another NBA title.
Team owner Mark Cuban recently talked about who is the current leader of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban abundantly made it clear that the Mavs are Doncic’s team.
“He knows that this is Luka’s team,” Cuban said on the Pat Bev podcast. “There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It is Luka’s team. He can play two. Luka is that good that when Luka is in there, Ky needs to run to the corner? He’ll run to the corner.”
He added: “People talk about Ky and Luka fitting together. Ky knows this is Luka’s team. Great basketball players are great basketball players, right? They know how to play off of anybody else. He’s not a 19-year-old Ky anymore, he’s not a 25-year-old Ky anymore. He’s a mature 31-year-old Ky, and he wants to win.”
Kyrie gonna request a trade after watching this video😭😭 pic.twitter.com/P5uSiu9z7b
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) August 31, 2023
This is the second time in a couple of months that Cuban has pointed out that the Mavs are Doncic’s team, not Irving’s. To be honest, there are no surprises there since Doncic has been the cornerstone player of the organization since his rookie year.
Despite that, many NBA fans think Cuban’s comments may piss Irving off. Here’s what the majority of NBA Twitter thinks about the controversial statement.
A fan asked if Irving would play second-fiddle to a 24-year-old Doncic.
If he left Cleveland cuz he didn’t wanna be second fiddle to a LeBron James in his prime, will he be willing to do that for a 24 yr old prodigy
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) August 31, 2023
One fan agreed with Cuban.
He’s right but like did he have to say this lol
— AK (@AKris__) August 31, 2023
A fan joked about Cuban’s strategy for Irving.
https://twitter.com/JasonFuel/status/1697087907553763804
Another fan used LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s example to help others understand the situation.
https://twitter.com/high_currency/status/1697180433996263865
One fan opposed Cuban making these comments in public.
These are things you just don't say in public lol
— Zibili (@Zibilid) August 31, 2023
The Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving in the middle of the 2022-23 NBA season. While Irving was supposed to make the team better, the complete opposite happened.
The Mavericks finished the season as the 11th seed in the West with a 38-44 record. Despite that, the Mavericks re-signed Irving to a three-year, $126 million deal in the offseason.
It has been made very clear that the Mavericks are Doncic’s team. So will it result in the 2016 champion requesting for a trade? Most likely not. After all, playing with an elite young superstar like Luka Doncic may be Kyrie Irving’s last hope to win another ring before retiring from the league.
Mark Cuban Defended Kyrie Irving Despite Not Making The 2023 NBA Playoffs
Playing in the postseason is the ultimate goal for all NBA teams after a tiring regular season. Most believe that the Mavericks would easily advance to the playoffs in 2023. After all, they did make it to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
Unfortunately, even the addition of Kyrie Ivring to the roster wasn’t enough for the Mavericks to get over the hump last season. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban knows that, and he didn’t berate Kyrie Irving for the lack of success in the 2022-23 season.
Speaking of Irving, he averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game last season. If he can maintain these averages in the 2023-24 season while forming a dynamic duo with Doncic, the sky will be the limit for the Mavericks.
Can Luka Doncic And Kyrie Irving Coexist Together?
During the summer, many questioned whether Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were on the same page when it came to playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
But those rumors were put to bed following a report which stated that it was Doncic who pushed the Mavs to re-sign Irving. That’s certainly a good sign for the team fanbase.
As for Doncic, he averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists over 66 games last season. The Mavericks undoubtedly have a two-headed snake, but they will need good productions from the supporting cast to be truly effective in the West.
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