Kyrie Irving’s trade to the Dallas Mavericks was expected to shake up the Western Conference as he formed a dynamic duo with Luka Doncic.
However, Kyrie and Luka’s partnership is yet to fulfill those exceedingly high expectations of the media and fans. Former Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper recently explained the reason behind it, and he also provided one simple solution for the issue.
“I really do believe Kyrie kinda needs his own team,” Cooper said. “I think he wants to be the man. He wants to shoot when he wants to and then pass it off. He knew he had to pass the ball to KD in [Brooklyn]. Now you trade him off to Dallas and he’s got to pass it off to [Doncic]. It’s not gonna work. I think he needs his own team.”
Nick Gelso, the host of the podcast intervened Cooper in between and claimed that Kai had already wasted that opportunity after his failed stint with the Boston Celtics. Cooper had an answer to it as well.
“Boston wasn’t that kind of team,” Cooper said. “Boston is about championships. It ain’t about flash and us watching one player score all the time and us lose. He may need to go to OKC. He may need to go where Kyrie can just play. He won his championship. Now, he wants to go score and go do it his way, and he don’t want nobody to say anything about it. If you’re going to be traded to these teams that are trying to win championships, you gotta buy into the team. I don’t think he’s quite ready.”
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In simple terms, Michael Cooper believes Kyrie Irving will always be a sidekick on championship contenders. He experienced that with LeBron James in Cleveland, with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, and now going through the same with Luka Doncic in Dallas.
If Kyrie were to accept Cooper’s suggestion, then he should take his talents to a team like Oklahoma City Thunder. Kyrie can be the primary superstar there and score to his heart’s will.
Kyrie Irving is all set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 31-year-old will have a chance to join any team he wants. Will he choose OKC? Only time will tell.
Can Kyrie Irving And Luka Doncic Still Lead The Dallas Mavericks To The Playoffs?
Since trading for Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks are 7-9 in the regular season. They even dropped below .500 for the first time since December 19, 2023, prior to their most recent victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Speaking of Kyrie Irving’s performance as a member of the Mavericks, he has averaged 27.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 0.4 BPG. One of the more concerning things about the Mavericks is the fact that they have a worse record than the Nets since the Irving trade.
But at the end of the day, fans will expect him to lead the Mavericks to a great playoff run. As of now, the Mavericks have a 35-35 record and hold the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
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