To say that the Dallas Mavericks‘ Kyrie Irving experiment did not pan out this past season would be an understatement. After throwing all their eggs into the Kyrie basket, the Mavs saw their season collapse right before their eyes after failing to even qualify for the NBA Play-In tournament. This is a hard pill to swallow for Mavs fans everywhere, which is why it will be very interesting to see how Kyrie's future with the team pans out amid his looming free agency.

Irving's current deal will come to an end after this season. The Mavs obviously knew this coming in when they pulled the trigger on the blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets, and they were well aware of the fact that there was a significant risk of Kyrie being nothing more than a half-season rental for them. If you ask ESPN's NBA guru Ramona Shelburne, however, she is adamant that the Mavs will be able to strike a deal with Irving this summer:

“They feel really good about their chances of keeping Kyrie Irving,” Shelburne said. “When they traded for him, they had an option, obviously, to sign him for a two-year extension. He wants more than two years. … Kyrie wants four. So, it may come down to whether or not they're willing to go to that fourth year.

Irving turned 31 this March, and this could possibly be the last big contract of his career. As such, it comes as no surprise that he reportedly wants a four-year extension, which will potentially keep him with the Mavs through 2028 when he will be 35.

Shelburne also pointed out that at this point, there's a lot of pressure on Dallas to keep Kyrie with the squad:

“If he has leverage outside the Mavericks, they may have to go further than they initially want to go,” she continued. “… He has quite a bit of leverage because quite frankly, they cannot lose him. They already lost Jalen Brunson for nothing. They cannot lose Kyrie Irving for nothing.”

In 2019, Kyrie Irving signed a massive four-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets to the tune of $136.5 million. He pocketed $38.9 million this season, and he will likely be searching for a similar contract this summer. As Shelburne hinted, Irving might be able to get an offer of this magnitude in free agency, which will pile even more pressure on the Mavs to match whatever's on the table for the enigmatic point guard.