Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks made one thing very clear on Monday: he isn’t going to talk about the future.
The star has only played a few games for his new team, scoring two wins and two losses during that limited time.
People are already wondering what’s next for Irving after this season concludes.
Will he sign a long-term deal with the Mavs or attempt his luck with another squad?
Kyrie Irving on what he needs to see to sign a long-term deal with the Mavericks:
"I would love to — just out of respect of you guys and everybody else the rest of this season continuously asking me that, it just puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team. I've dealt with… https://t.co/NQW89xbBVm pic.twitter.com/1edjJoKybx
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 14, 2023
Irving, always the enigma, refused to be straightforward when he was asked.
Irving stated, “Out of respect for you guys and everybody else the rest of this season continuously asking me that, it just puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team.”
He then added:
“I’ve dealt with it before and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions, ‘what’s the long-term?’ I will say that from the start, it’s been nothing but a warm embrace, genuine love, and a familiarity of relationships I can lean into.”
That sort of non-answer is nothing new for Irving, who has always liked to speak in riddles and remain vague.
It surely won’t inspire much confidence in fans of the team who are hoping he’s in Dallas for the long term.
The Mavericks could offer him a monster package in the summer in hopes of keeping him around.
Of course, Irving could decline that offer and likely receive less money from another team, perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers.
Then again, why wouldn’t Irving want to remain in Dallas if the team is thriving?
So far, they have gotten off to an okay start in the Irving era.
They will have to fight even harder and find a great rhythm if they wish to climb higher in their conference and have a very successful postseason.
The Mavericks knew what they were getting when they added Irving.
The front office surely isn’t shocked by his non-committal response to this question.
But that won’t stop them from offering a huge sum of money to the star if he helps them achieve their goals this year.
NEXT: New Mavericks Duo Is Failing In 1 Important Task