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Eastern Conference Executive Links Kyrie Irving To The Dallas Mavericks: “They Do Need A Second Scorer, And He Can Do That”

Kyrie Irving has been the talk of the town ahead of the impending NBA free agency. The 30-year old offensive guard has reportedly reached an impasse with the Brooklyn Nets in their negotiations over a new contract.

The situation between the Nets and Irving has now opened a way for teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers to pursue a possible deal with the disgruntled Nets star.

Irving struggled in the recent NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics, but make no mistake that he can still be an effective and valuable piece for any team as Irving averaged 27.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game on 49.0% shooting from the field across three seasons with the Nets.

While the Lakers have emerged as the most significant threat in the Kyrie sweepstakes, an Eastern Conference executive thinks that the Dallas Mavericks could make use of Irving’s contributions given that they’re lacking a scorer outside of Luka Doncic.

Per Fox Sports:

One Eastern Conference executive suggested that the Dallas Mavericks offer the best fit [for Irving]. The reasons were fairly straightforward: their GM, their coach and their star player.

One of the issues in Brooklyn is Irving’s apparent lack of respect for Steve Nash as a head coach. While both Nash and Jason Kidd had Hall-of-Fame careers as point guards, Kidd has a championship to his credit — as does Irving — while Nash does not. Mavericks first-year GM Nico Harrison apparently already has a strong relationship with Irving from his previous job as vice president of North America basketball operations for Nike, with whom Irving has had a signature shoe.

And then there’s Luka Doncic, the Mavs’ superstar playmaker. “With Luka, Kyrie doesn’t have to be your best player,” the rival GM said. “He doesn’t have to lead. But they do need a second scorer, and he can do that.”