Kyrie Irving Contract: Will 8x All-Star Stay With Mavs After Celtics Exposed Flaw in Luka Doncic Partnership?

When Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2023, a potential partnership between him and lead scorer Luka Doncic was touted as the dawn of a new age. Sure enough, the same proved true! The duo successfully led the franchise through a great regular season run and even found success in the playoffs. Thanks to their combined effort, the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2011 season. Unfortunately, luck failed to be on their side in this series, causing them to lose to the Boston Celtics by a 4-1 win record. This recent setback has now raised the question: Will Kyrie Irving leave the franchise, right after serving his first full season with them?

Prior to joining the Mavericks, the shooting guard had signed a three-year, $126 million contract with the franchise. With a player option provided for the third year, i.e. the 2025-26 season, the agreement ensured that Irving remains fully associated with the roster for the recently concluded and the upcoming season.

Kyrie Irving’s current contract reportedly made him the 20 highest-paid player of the 2023-24 season. Furthermore, along with the high pay, the 32-year-old is also subject to receiving incentives if certain obligations are fulfilled. The same was seen back in April when Irving completed 58 games and contributed to the Mavericks roster’s 50 win of the season. As a result, he was offered an additional $1 million. The sum was paid, although Mark Cuban jokingly tried to get out of doing the same. Therefore, given that the player cannot enter free agency until the conclusion of the next season, and the high pay he receives, there is a good chance that Mavericks fans may witness him continuing to give out his memorable performances next season as well.

The Boston Celtics were able to do something that many failed at: find a flaw in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving’s partnership. During the NBA Finals, fans witnessed how Jayson Tatum and co relentlessly went up against the Slovenian player on the defensive end. The weakness was exposed by Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who stated “He’s (Doncic) carrying a load offensively. They are putting him in every pick-and-roll and so. He’s got to be able to play the game where he can rest on offense and let others carry the load.” As for Kyrie Irving, renowned Celtics legend Bob Cousy revealed how Kyrie Irving’s rivals are making use of single coverage to limit his scoring. This was the reason Irving’s average stats during the Finals were much lower than the ones he secured during the Conference Finals and the first round of the playoffs.

Despite the Celtics’ clever tactic, the duo is not going anywhere. With Luka Doncic’s contract not providing him a player option till the 2026-27 season, the NBA world very likely witness his and Kyrie Irving’s partnership for another year.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving reflect on the future of the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks failed to secure the championship title. However, there is no denying that the 2023-24 season will go down in history as one of their best. Under the leadership of a 25-year-old, the franchise was able to go beyond the first round of the playoffs for the second time in 13 years and reach the final stage. They’ve won 50 of the 82 games they’ve played in the regular season, of course, it is a marvelous winning record for the franchise. So, after going through the tumultuous season together, Luka and Kyrie believe that now the only thing left is the way up.

Even in the post-game interviews, Luka Doncic echoed the same emotion. Despite the loss, he expressed confidence in the franchise. “I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, all the people behind… We did have hell of a season and I’m proud of every one of them.”

When the time came to ask Kyrie Irving the same question, he stated that the point till the Mavericks reached this season made him confident about its chances for the next season. Furthermore, he expressed being proud of each member of the roster.

“Now it’s about just being consistent,” said Irving. “From a spiritual standpoint, I enjoyed this journey more than any other season.”

Looking at Kyrie Irving’s history, one can never rule out the possibility of the player looking to make a change. For now, however, the Mavericks are whom he chooses to play with.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA stars, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.