Kyrie Irving: I Need to 'Scale' Back Self-Imposed Pressure After Trade to Mavericks

Kyrie Irving said he is pressing as he continues to acclimate himself with a new team after being traded to the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 6.

Speaking to reporters following the Mavs' 124-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, Irving explained he needs to "scale" back the pressure he's putting on himself.

"I just appreciate the coaching staff and my teammates trusting me with that shot and just the comfort they gave me afterwards," he said. "Really want to win here, really put a lot of pressure on myself at times. I think I need to scale it back a little bit, just because the second half of the season, just feeling like we've got to be great every single possession, and usually these learning curves or learning moments happen in preseason, and it's happening now."

Irving had a chance to win the game with a step-back three-point attempt on Dallas' final possession, but the ball hit the front of the rim as time expired.

In addition to the team pressure around Irving, he is also under a microscope because of his contract status. The eight-time All-Star requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets after the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a long-term extension, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski noted Brooklyn was hesitant because it wanted "further evidence that Irving could stay reliable, perform at a high level and remain controversy-free" before committing to Irving.

Irving's individual stats in seven games with the Mavs have been on par with what he did for the Nets prior to the trade. He's averaging 24.7 points on 49.2 percent shooting, 6.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

It just hasn't translated into success for the team so far. Things won't get easier for the Mavericks right away with home games against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

The Suns are expecting to have Kevin Durant make his debut for them on Wednesday.

The acquisition of Irving was meant to take some of the pressure off Luka Dončić while also providing the 24-year-old All-Star with another top-tier player to help the Mavs make a deep playoff run.

Things haven't gone to plan for the Mavs, who have lost five of their last six games overall—they have a 1-4 record in games Dončić and Irving have played together. They are seventh in the Western Conference standings with a 32-31 record.