After a disastrous season that ended with them missing the playoffs and Play-In altogether, the Dallas Mavericks now head to the offseason with plenty of uncertainties. One of the biggest questions they are facing is with regards to Kyrie Irving's future and whether the veteran guard will opt to stay with the Mavs or leave.
Superstar Luka Doncic, team owner Mark Cuban and the rest of the Mavs have all expressed their desire for Irving to run it back with the team. While others blame the Kyrie trade for Dallas' collapse at the end of the season, the fact of the matter is that Irving has been one of their best players who has fit in nicely with Doncic–at least on the offense.
Unfortunately for Dallas, Irving has yet to comment about his future with the team. He refused to speak with the media at the end of the season, sparking more concerns on what he'll do when he hits free agency.
Amid all the talks about Irving's upcoming decision, though, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison expressed optimism that Kyrie will return to the team. The Dallas exec shared what Irving has told the team so far that made him confident about the guard re-signing.
“The things that he said along the way about how he feels here, how he feels appreciated, how he feels um, accepted and allowed to be himself — those are the things that he said kind of consistently. That's what gives me the optimism that he wants to be here,” Harrison said, noting that Irving showed appreciation on how the franchise treated him during his exit interview, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
For what it's worth, the Mavs are considered the favorites to sign Kyrie Irving, at least on the latest betting odds. Irving not only had a productive time with the team in the 20 games he played since arriving in Dallas, but he has also been able to avoid any off-court issue. Those factors could very be huge motivations for him to stay.
Nonetheless, at the end of the day, it is Irving's decision to make. He can have a change of heart any time, and there's no doubt he has plenty of other things to consider when pondering about his future.
Hopefully, Nico Harrison is right with his belief that Irving will stay. But for now, fans can only wait and hope for the best.
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