Mavericks new signing Kyrie Irving asked reporters to please lay off questioning about his future, as he isn’t interested in talking about where his career will take him after Dallas and he just wants to concentrate on his present.
“Every single time I step foot out there, I get a chance to prove it to myself that I can play with anybody and everybody and still be efficient and be myself,” Irving said before his first home game in Texas on Monday. “All I know, this is really playing basketball with a lot of high-level, high-IQ players and making it work.”
The star had to wait a whole week after his dramatic trade from Brooklyn became official to finally debut in Dallas, as his first three contests with the Mavs were on the road. Also, the first time he got to play with his All-Star teammate Luka Doncic was this past Saturday, when the point guard dropped 28 points and Doncic 27 in an overtime defeat in Sacramento, California.
Kyrie Irving asked reporters to resist asking about his future.
“It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team.”
That’s what you get when you’ve earned a reputation as one of the most unpredictable stars the NBA has ever known, @sam_amick writes.https://t.co/FTkGscBzYG pic.twitter.com/3M6aLvTbds
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) February 15, 2023
Irving simply doesn’t want any distractions. As for the rest of this season, the eight-time All-Star said that getting asked the same question about his future over and over again is what can keep him away from concentrating in his present with the Texan squad.
“What the future holds is really only going to be dictated on what I do right now, and how I prepare for those next steps, and that’s being the best teammate that I can in that locker room and a great leader out here, I think within the Dallas community. So we’re just putting that to bed and just focus on what we have ahead as a team,” Irving explained to the press.“I’ve dealt with it before and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions about what’s the long term.”
The Dallas team has only 23 games remaining this campaign, and are currently 6th in the West (31-28) crammed into a crowded mix of teams stuck mid-table who are all maintaining their playoff aspirations. Some of our recommended sport betting sites believe the Mavs are very much title-contenders as they possess the 8th best odds (+1600) to win this NBA championship.
Mavericks’ general manager has Irving’s back
Besides what many people may think, the Dallas general manager Nico Harrison doesn’t consider Irving’s trade as a risk, even though Irving is on an expiring contract.
“So I don’t see risk. I actually see a risk in not doing it,” Harrison said. “I don’t see any risk involved at all. I’ve known Kyrie for a long time, I know his core, I know what type of person he is. I think anybody who’s ever watched him play basketball knows the type of basketball player he is.”
To this comment, Irving simply smiled and added, “touché” to the conversation. He then took the time to mention how much he appreciated his relationship with the GM and that it was now up to him to prove his worth.
It is important to mention that out of the trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round choices to Brooklyn, the Mavericks also added Markieff Morris to their roster.
