Kyrie Irving is a walking mixtape. He has a strong case for having the greatest handles in the history of the NBA, and the Dallas Mavericks now have two of the most offensively talented players on Earth by a significant stretch.
But as evident as Kyrie’s offensive traits are, so are the red flags that have often come with him throughout the course of his career, which is why some teams and executives were kind of reluctant to reach out to him in free agency.
According to a report by Heavy, the only reason he actually agreed to run it back next to Luka Doncic was that no other team was willing to meet his asking price, most likely because of his long list of off-court issues and controversies.
NBA Rumors: There Was No Market For Kyrie Irving
“I don’t think he had anywhere else to go — not unless he wanted to give up a lot of money,” one league source told Heavy Sports. “I just think he tried to create a market for himself, like James Harden is trying to do and like Dame Lillard WILL do.”
“On the other hand, Kyrie’s had a lot of side issues. If he wasn’t always causing some drama away from the court and making himself unavailable — and that’s not counting the injuries — he’d have been the prime max free agent this summer. But look at what all that sitting out stuff cost him. I know he should already have more money than he’s ever going to need, but we’re talking millions and millions of dollars here,” added the source.
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At the end of the day, it seemed like the Mavericks were just bidding against themselves, and they were also stuck with him. They can still make it work, but this will most likely be his final chance to prove that he’s worth all the trouble.
