Kyrie Irving Rumors: ‘Not Much of a Market’ for Mavs FA amid Contract, Lakers Buzz

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The free-agent negotiating window hasn’t even opened, yet Kyrie Irving’s available options have dwindled significantly, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst said Thursday on Get Up that “there’s not much of a market” for the dynamic guard with the Los Angeles Lakers showing little interest in a partnership so far.

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“The only team in this offseason where I thought Kyrie would have a chance to go that would be outside Dallas, really, would be LA.”

👀 @windhorstespn pic.twitter.com/jYzwrrW5DF

Stars of Irving’s caliber typically have a limited market because they gravitate toward certain markets or bona fide championship contenders. In the case of the eight-time All-Star, his past track record is doing him few favors.

Irving has battled injuries for multiple seasons and been a regular source of off-court drama, whether it was refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, promoting an antisemitic film on social media or requesting a trade in the middle of the season.

The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets both made big bets on the 31-year-old in pursuit of a title, and both came to regret their decision.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Wednesday that Irving “intends to take meetings when free agency opens,” which could if nothing else potentially increase his leverage over the Dallas Mavericks a bit.

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.@ramonashelburne reports that Kyrie Irving intends to meet with teams in free agency and is searching for “a place where he can spend the rest of his career, the place that feels like home.” pic.twitter.com/dNWqIqrFKr

But Windhorst’s report gave the impression Dallas could be bidding against itself. Unless he’s willing to take a significant pay cut or accept a short-term deal, it’s tough to see which teams would actually be willing to step up to the plate.

That’s not to say the Mavericks can afford to take any chances.

It would be nothing short of a disaster if they exhausted most of their best trade assets for what amounted to a half-season of Irving’s services. As with Jalen Brunson last offseason, there’s also no realistic path in which the Mavs lose Kyrie and wind up with a roster as good or better than the one they had to end 2022-23.

There’s a mutual dependence between Irving and Dallas that leads you to believe he’ll return to the team. The specific terms of their reunion will be fascinating to see.

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