Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving’s future with the Dallas Mavericks is a bit uncertain as his impending free agency grows closer and closer. Leading up to this point, there have been reports that he’s staying, going, and even trying to recruit LeBron James to Dallas.
Most recently, came some information that may not be the most comforting to Mavericks fans. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, Irving has interest in joining the Miami Heat.
Winderman shared those details during a recent appearance on “The Starting Lineup.”
“I do think Kyrie Irving wants to come here,” Winderman said on June 14. “I don’t think the Heat are going to be subservient to Kyrie’s wishes. I will find that much more of a long shot.”
This isn’t the first time this week that Irving has been tied to the Heat. Just hours before Winderman’s news, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Miami had tried to swing a trade for the 10-time All-Star back in February.
“Just to give you a glimpse of what they’ve looked at over the last several months, they made an offer to the [Brooklyn] Nets for Kyrie Irving at the deadline from what I’m told, right before he got traded to the Mavericks before the deadline,” Charania said of Miami. “They’re going to explore seeing what the star market is out there… Do they circle back on Kyrie Irving?”
NBA GM Links Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving to Heat
Charania’s reports of the Heat’s interest in Dallas’ No. 2 lines up with what an anonymous Western Conference general manager told Heavy Sports‘ Sean Deveney back in March.
The source predicted that that the Heat would aim to land the star guard this offseason.
“Kyrie will have to decide what he wants to do next—does he want to pick where he wants to go and take a taxpayer exception (about $7 million) or does he want to make as much money as he possibly can? Because the Mavs will give him more than anyone else will, so if that is the decision, then it is pretty simple,” the source explained to Deveney. “But, we have seen how Kyrie is with teaming up with players. Could he take $7 million to go play with LeBron and the Lakers, or take $7 million to play in Phoenix? Miami was interested, too. They would be again. Sure, he has said that money is not that important and this would be how he could show it, I suppose.”
Sources Told Kyrie Irving Wants to Stay With Mavericks
Since Deveney’s source pinned Miami as a threat to pry Irving away, opinions on his value have changed. It’s unlikely that he’d have to settle for a mid-level exception contract, considering that the Mavs have a strong interest in keeping him around.
On top of that, NBA Insider Marc Stein had multiple sources tell him that Uncle Drew wants to remain a Maverick.
“Yet two sources close to the process insisted Monday that Irving has consistently expressed a desire to remain a Maverick and actually wants to shut down the notion that he’s angling to get to L.A.,” Stein wrote as part of his June 5 newsletter. “‘He wants to stay,’ said one source. The clear signals Monday out of Dallas suggest that the Mavericks believe that. With or without a LeBron reunion.”
