Report: Mavs' Kyrie Irving to Take FA Meetings, Eyeing Team He Can Finish Career With
Impending free-agent guard Kyrie Irving is reportedly looking for his next NBA destination to be the last of his career as he searches for a "place that feels like home," ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said Wednesday.
Irving has spent only a few months with the Dallas Mavericks, who landed the eight-time All-Star via trade from the Brooklyn Nets in February. He is now entering unrestricted free agency after averaging 27.0 points on 51.0 percent shooting, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in 20 games with Dallas.
Irving spent the first six years of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers before moving onto the Boston Celtics (2017-2019), Brooklyn Nets (2019-2023) and Dallas Mavericks.
Finding a place where Irving can settle down for a few years to call home is an understandable free agent mission, especially when considering that a new destination would mean playing for his fourth team in six seasons.
The Mavericks have made it no secret that they want Irving to call Dallas home, with team governor Mark Cuban saying as much on 97.1 The Freak (h/t Grant Afseth of Dallas Basketball).
"I want him to stay for sure, and I think we have a good shot," Cuban said in part. "I think he's happy here. He told me he's happy here."
It appears Dallas is the clear frontrunner for Irving in free agency, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on SportsCenter Tuesday.
"The market for Kyrie Irving [in terms of] legitimate places that he would leave Dallas for that makes sense [and] that are available to him [are] extremely limited," Wojnarwoski said. "Perhaps almost nil. I think the full expectation is that he returns to Dallas."
NBA insider Marc Stein also said earlier in June that Irving wants to stay in Dallas based on everything he's heard.
Ultimately, Dallas is looking like the place where Irving will call home, but we'll soon find out if that's the case. Free agency is set to begin Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
