Adrian Wojnarowski offered a telling Kyrie Irving prediction this week amid mixed reports regarding the star guard’s future.
Irving, 31, is an unrestricted free agent. Following last season’s trade to the Dallas Mavericks, there was a lot of speculation about whether he would ultimately prove to be a “rental” or “long-term” piece alongside Luka Doncic.
Given what they gave up to acquire him, clearly Dallas felt like the organization could sell Irving on a future with the franchise.
This week, however, reports emerged that Irving planned to take meetings with other teams in the coming weeks.
.@ramonashelburne reports that Kyrie Irving intends to meet with teams in free agency and is searching for “a place where he can spend the rest of his career, the place that feels like home.” pic.twitter.com/dNWqIqrFKr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 28, 2023
Further complicating matters is Irving’s perceived preference for where he wants to play next season and the Los Angeles Lakers’ current feelings on making a move for him.
A potential dark horse suitor for Irving is also hovering in the background.
In the face of all that, Wojnarowski offered his own prediction on where Irving goes from here.
“The market for Kyrie Irving, legitimate places that he would leave Dallas for, that make sense, that are available to him, it’s extremely limited, perhaps almost nil,” Wojnarowski said.
“I think the full expectation is that he returns in Dallas. The question will be what kind of a deal does he go back on? How many years on a contract? I don’t think the money will be as much of an issue as how many fully guaranteed years are there.”
Irving put up 27.0 points per game on 51.0 percent shooting in 20 games with het Mavs last season. He also chipped in 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game, though none of that actually culminated in Dallas making the playoffs.
Both Irving and Doncic were very open regarding where things went awry for them last season.
Trevor and Marissa had themselves a boat party. https://t.co/0kzP7vY621
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 29, 2023
Whether they’d be able to remedy those issues in the future remains to be seen.
Irving will definitely be playing somewhere come the beginning of next season. Where will that somewhere be, though? Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
