The Dallas Mavericks wanted to make a big splash to prove that they could surround Luka Doncic with the players he needs to thrive.
They shocked the world by acquiring Kyrie Irving at a bargain price from the Brooklyn Nets, mostly because owner Joe Tsai didn’t want to send Irving to a better situation.
Reports state that Tsai didn’t want Irving to end up with the Los Angeles Lakers like he wanted.
Irving didn’t want to make any sort of long-term commitment to the Mavericks, stating that it would be a distraction and a ‘draining subject.’
And given Kyrie’s history of bailing on his team as soon as someone says ‘no,’ no one would be shocked to see him walk away and take his talents to Southern California next summer.
However, NBA analyst Chris Broussard believes that would be a big mistake.
Broussard made a case for Luka Doncic being a better player than LeBron James right now, stating that Kyrie should focus on winning a ring in Dallas instead:
“Kyrie is in a great situation right now. His focus should be on winning a championship in Dallas,” Broussard said on First Things First. “Luka, right now, is better than LeBron.”
Should Kyrie want to reunite with LeBron?
"Kyrie is in a great situation right now. His focus should be on winning a championship in Dallas. Luka, right now, is better than LeBron." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/SHuIHfBgfZ
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 21, 2023
Of course, expecting a 38-year-old to be the best player in the league wouldn’t be realistic, even by LeBron’s standards.
But the Mavs are nowhere close to legit championship contention, at least with this current roster.
Also, even if he decides to re-sign with the Mavericks, Kyrie isn’t known for living up to his contracts, so there’s no guarantee he would even finish one season in Texas.
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