The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world when they managed to trade for Kyrie Irving last season.
Speculation about Kyrie’s exit rose again this offseason, as the Mavs plummeted in the standings as soon as he hit the court next to Luka Doncic.
Kyrie put an end to the rumors by signing a max contract extension as soon as he could, but there are still doubts about the team’s ability to dominate with that kind of backcourt.
In his latest appearance on The Pat Bev podcast, however, Mark Cuban explained that last season’s woes had nothing to do with their star duo (via Kyrie Center).
Mark Cuban speaks positive about Kyrie and his first season with the Mavericks 👀
(🎥 The Pat Bev Podcast/YT) pic.twitter.com/TuGddy0wFX
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) August 30, 2023
Per Cuban, injuries and players failing to live up to their roles were the reason why they couldn’t even make the Play-in tournament despite being a playoff team for most of the season.
Truth be told, Irving played well in Dallas.
He put up big numbers, and Luka continued to do his usual thing when he was on the floor.
Their offense was as good as expected, but their defense took a huge hit, as most analysts predicted it would.
Even so, the Mavericks were one of the biggest winners of the offseason, acquiring multiple players who seem to be perfect fits around their offensive-minded stars, so they should be a dark horse out of the West next season.
NEXT: Mark Cuban Makes A Clear Statement On Who’s The Leader Of The Mavericks
