Will Kyrie Irving stay in Dallas?

The Dallas Mavericks are living in a dilemma during the end of this regular season. After having more than a 90% chance of making it to the playoffs at a certain point, they now have a 6% of chance. And one of the main questions coming with this situation is: will Kyrie Irving stay in Dallas next season?

We might have seen Irving last game in Mavericks uniform last Sunday. That is because according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the franchise is “seriously considering the possibility of shutting down Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving” as they are almost eliminated from the playoffs.

With only three games left in the regular season, the Mavericks are one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the #10 seed in the West. In order to make it to the play-in tournament, the Mav would need to win at least two games and the Thunder would have to lose at least two.

Because of the complexity of the facts, and also the low probability of that happening, the Mavericks are considering focusing on the next Draft. If they don’t make it to the playoffs, they will secure a top 10 draft pick as part of Kristaps Porziņģis trade in 2019.

If they choose to tank the last three games and sit out their two stars, Irving could not play for the Mavericks anymore. After joining Dallas in a trade this season, before the deadline, Irving played half of the season with the team. Oh, and that would also mean that Dončić won’t fight for the league’s scoring title anymore.

The franchise reportedly wants to bring Kyrie back next season but this is not a guaranteed thing. According to reports, he wants to test the Free Agency before signing an extension with Dallas.

Dallas Mavericks remaining games

• DAL vs. SAC Kings (April 5)
• DAL vs. CHI Bulls (April 7)
• DAL vs. SA Spurs (April 9)