Game 4 of the NBA Finals is in the books, the NBA Draft is less than two weeks away, and Offseason action is soon to pick up. The Dallas Mavericks have a number of decisions to make to balance their roster, with the currently injured Kyrie Irving factoring into the mix in a big way.
Earlier in this series of Love Him or Leave Him articles, we looked at Spencer Dinwiddie, P.J. Washington and Anthony Davis. Here we take a crack at Kyrie Irving to discuss whether the Mavs are best served to keep and even possibly extend Irving (“Love Him”) or switch gears and find what the trade market might provide Dallas in exchange for him (“Leave Him”).
Season Recap
The 6’2” Irving played beyond his stature as he has throughout his career. Averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, he was the leader in Dallas after the trade of Luka Doncic, and up until an untimely ACL injury that ended his season prematurely. Irving connected on 47.3% of his field goal attempts, 40.1% of his threes and 91.6% of his free throws. Since arriving in Dallas, he has proven to be a leader and mentor for his teammates. This season was no different, as he handled the controversial trade of his “hermano” with aplomb. Sad though it was for Mavs fans to witness, Irving’s last on-court image was draining free throws with tears rolling down his face after and ugly landing cost him an injured ACL in March.
Contract Status
Irving has a player option that would net him $43 million dollars, should he choose to exercise it. If he does, he will be an unrestricted free agent after this coming season. The Mavericks can also work with Irving to opt out in favor of a contract extension.
How He Fits
Irving and Anthony Davis are the best players on the roster as it currently stands. Irving is the engine, orchestrator and key clutch performer, making him arguably the most important player as a result. Following Doncic’s departure, Irving led the Mavs in scoring and assists while bringing veteran leadership both on and off the court. He is universally regarded as an excellent teammate and leader in Dallas and should have an intangible connection with the inevitable #1 Pick Cooper Flagg given their shared Duke roots. At 33 years old, it could be argued he doesn’t fit the potential youth movement that Flagg could be ushering in, but aside from that, Irving is a near perfect fit in Dallas.
Final Verdict – Love Him
Although currently injured and set to miss at least the first few months of next season, the Mavs should make sure Irving sticks around in Big D. The easiest and most obvious approach would be for Irving to pick up his option for a big pay day while rehabbing. Doing so would also give the Mavericks a chance to evaluate his efficacy upon returning from injury, at which point they could pay a more accurate market value for him next year should both sides want to stay together. More likely, however, the Mavs give him a contract extension now.
While no one can predict exactly what an extension would look like, it’s easy to envision a scenario where Irving gets more years in exchange for a slightly lower per-annual salary. This alone won’t cure the Mavericks’ cap situation, but it should afford some flexibility while providing the team with on-court continuity.
Though he may not be back to his full form until late next season (if not later), Irving is the leader of this team and has been nothing but a positive since arriving in Dallas. Furthermore, replacing him is almost impossible, at least in the near term and assuming the Mavs don’t want to lose other assets to acquire a player via trade. It would be far easier and more asset-savvy to go after a free agent such as Chris Paul, who can hold the fort on the cheap before pivoting to a bench role upon Irving’s return. I struggle to find a scenario where Irving isn’t here for the next few years, based on the thoughts above as well as GM Nico Harrison’s commitment to this team he built. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Irving finish his career as a Maverick.
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