NBA

Despite reports from last week, Kyrie Irving’s “handshake” deal with the Mavericks has no truth

Mavericks plan to re-sign Kyrie Irving in offseason

This past deadline, the Dallas Mavericks took a risk when they traded for Kyrie Irving. Dallas went 8-12 in the 20 games that Irving played for the Mavs. Luka Doncic and himself did not mesh on the court like many thought they would. That led to Dallas missing out on the playoffs in 2022-23. Despite reports from last week, Kyrie Irving’s “handshake” deal with the Mavericks has no truth. 

Even when the “handshake” deal was in place last week, other sources around the league heard differently. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Irving in fact wants to go to the Lakers. Kyrie Irving being traded to the Lakers would be a massive move across the Western Conference. It’s not the craziest scenario, especially after the performance that D’Angelo Russell had this past postseason.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto had the report that the “handshake” deal had no truth. However, he reassured Mavs fans that that doesn’t imply they won’t get a deal signed.

Kyrie Irving continues to leave the media guessing what his future holds

When healthy, Kyrie Irving is one of the best PGs in the NBA. That is why the Mavericks traded away two starters and a future first-round pick for the 2016 NBA champ. After his short 20-game stint with the Mavs after the trade deadline, many are wondering if he’s going to resign from the team.

Last week we had reports of a “handshake” deal between Irving and the Mavs on a new max contract. Today we get the news that there is no legitimacy to that “handshake” deal. It’s hard to know what to believe in this situation. There’s always been a mystery to Irving and his future.

The one thing to know is that Irving wants no less than a max contract. Brooklyn had intentions to offer Irving a max contract after this season. However, in-season discussions on a new contract went south and that led to the eight-time all-star requesting a trade. Based on his past, it’s hard to know whether Irving wants to continue his career with the Mavs or not.

Author photo
Zach Wolpin
Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

All posts by Zach Wolpin
Author photo
Zach Wolpin Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

All posts by Zach Wolpin