Irving takes a slight discount to stay in Dallas
The Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie Irving have reached an agreement that will not only keep him in Dallas through his rehabilitation from last season’s ACL injury, but an extension for several seasons. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the 33-year-old guard declined his $43-million player option and agreed to a new three-year deal for $119-million. There is a reported player option on the final year of the deal.
Irving, who is the team’s leader both on and off the floor, is in a precarious time for an aging undersized guard. But the Dallas Mavericks absolutely have to have him. Both sides finding a way to that is a positive for all involved. Kyrie can continue rehabbing with future security in mind, while the team looks for ways to fill the on-court need in the mean time.
He has appeared in 50 and 58 games in his two full seasons in Dallas, and bore the brunt of most of the scoring, playmaking, and team morale after the Luka Doncic trade. A late season injury derailed what was an impressive showing from him in the midst of unfathomable adversity.
The other important note on this deal is that Irving declining his current option and taking less brings the team below the second apron and allows them to use their $5.7-million tax level exception. The assumption would be the team will look to use the exception on a guard that can step in during Irving’s rehab.
This all happening on the eve of the team selecting Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft. The league as a whole is already extremely active on the trade front and will likely ramp up even more in the next 48 hours.