He left Cleveland in harsh tones, he left Boston with a door slam, and Brooklyn also realized the hard way that he can't really be trusted, but Dallas believes that it is precisely she who will defuse the ticking bomb named Kyrie Irving, and focus her solely on basketball.
The day after the surprising trade that sent Irving to Dallas alongside Markieff Morris, in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney Smith and a first round pick in 2029 - there are quite a few criticisms of the risky gamble the Mavs took, but they sound confident.
"Kyrie Irving has long since become the drama queen of the NBA, but in Dallas they believe that their management and the history they have with Irving will help focus him on basketball and neutralize the personal baggage he comes with," the Dallas Morning News wrote.
The Mavs are convinced that Irving will conduct himself and behave differently with them, among other things thanks to the early acquaintance between him and general manager Nico Harrison, who served for years as a consultant to the "Nike" company where Irving was signed, and is considered close to the player.
In Dallas, they understand very well that around Irving there are "huge question marks when it comes to conduct off the field", but they are convinced that they are the ones who will get the best out of him, and another reason for this is the identity of the coach on the lines.
Jason Kidd was one of the players admired by Irving as a child, and he is considered a charismatic coach who knows how to harness players with a problematic reputation.
"to J
How will it look on the field?
Irving and Doncic (photo: Walla! NEWS system, from Twitter)
The Mavs are also hanging up on talks with Irving himself prior to the trade.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo, Irving "reacted ecstatically" to the possibility of him moving to Dallas and teaming up with Luka Doncic.
Doncic himself was also part of the decision-making process, and the group consulted him before moving forward with the talks.
Doncic gave the green light, and believes that the combination between him and Kyrie, another dominant player who loves the ball very much and needs him to stand out, "could become lethal."
Since the Mavs landed Luka Doncic in the team, they are looking for the other star who will support the Slovenian and can help him push the team to the championship.
They believe that Irving meets the definition, even though he and the one who will now become the team's third rib, Christian Wood, are also out of contract at the end of the season.
At this point, there is no discussion with Irving about a contract extension, but Dallas will use the coming period to examine how the collaboration with Doncic and the other players works, and if there is mutual satisfaction, they believe he will continue.
Either way, the commentators are already defining this trade as a "step of desperation" for the Mavs.
"The Mavs are taking a huge sum here that could affect the future of the team, but there's no doubt that Kyrie is also raising their glass ceiling," wrote "The Ringer" commentator Kevin O'Connor.
sport
NBA
Tags
Kyrie Irving
Luka Doncic
Dallas Mavericks