One of the greatest names available in the 2023 NBA Free Agency was Kyrie Irving, who is now returning to the Dallas Mavericks. After joining the franchise in the middle of last season, on the trade deadline day, coming from the Brooklyn Nets, Irving became an unrestricted free agent once his contract expired after last season.
Now the player and the franchise have agreed on a three-year, $126 million deal, with a player option in Year 3. This locks him in Dallas for at least two seasons, to play alongside Luka Dončić. In 2022-23 the duo didn’t cause the impact they were expected to cause. Let’s see if with a whole offseason together their chemistry gets better and they can do greater things in Dallas.
Irving, 31, played only 20 games with the Mavericks last season. And Dallas had a modest 8-12 record in those games. With such a poor performance, not only from Kyrie but from the whole team, the Mavericks missed the postseason. They finished the regular season with a 38-44 record, with the #11 seed in the West.
During his 20 games with the Mavericks, Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per match. In his whole 12-season career he has played 671 games, averaging 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
History
This negotiation that ended up with Kyrie Irving returning to the Dallas Mavericks was historical. The reason was Irving’s agent. Shetellia Riley Irving, his agent and stepmother, became the first Black woman to negotiate and complete an NBA contract, as per Shams Charania.
After being represented by Roc Nation, Irving spent almost a year without an agent before enlisting the services of Riley Irving in May 2022. Riley Irving, believed to be the first woman of color to represent an NBA player, brings both business acumen and experience as the former vice president of ad sales for Black Entertainment Television. About a year into her role as Irving's representative, she took charge of orchestrating the point guard's trade request from the Brooklyn Nets in February.
