Feb 22, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) celebrates with Mark Cuban during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The reason Mark Cuban knew he could gamble on Kyrie Irving for Mavericks

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 3:45 PM ET

Before the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving, he was seen as a locker room cancer, a flight risk, and many other characteristics that you don't want to hear about. However, that didn't concern the then-majority owner, Mark Cuban.

"When he was having all his problems in Brooklyn, and before that, Boston, we were trying to get another star to pair with Luka [Doncic]," Cuban said on the "Gil's Arena" show. "Initially, I was like: Kyrie? You know, everybody called him a cancer. Everywhere he went, they were ready to get rid of him. But every player I talked to loved him.

"And I would start watching his old games. After every game, you know, guys dap up and trade jerseys, but with Kyrie, people were hugging him like he was a cousin they hadn’t seen in forever, right? They just loved the guy. And everyone I talked to said the same thing.

"So I’m like, 'Okay, we’re going to go out and pull this trade off.' Because he was, you know, a fallen angel. And so, we could get him for a good deal. I’m like, 'We’re going to pull the trigger. We’re just going to give him a lot of attention and talk to him.' And... it paid off."

Kyrie Irving's Remade Image

The smartest thing the Mavericks did was to let Kyrie Irving be Kyrie Irving. He can have his outlandish takes, but he is clearly the happiest he's been in his NBA career, and that's worth nothing. His Twitch streams this offseason, which he's done while recovering from ACL surgery, have been great to endear himself to NBA fans.

But he also stepped up in a massive way as a leader. His presence helped Luka Doncic grow and mature, as the two developed a great relationship in their brief time together (thanks, Nico Harrison), and it led to an NBA Finals appearance.

Irving was also the biggest voice of reason after the Doncic trade. He was empathetic with the fanbase, acknowledging the hurt they were feeling because he was feeling it too. He and Doncic are still close and have called each other "hermano" for some time. For him to be as honest as he was in the aftermath was a nice change of pace from the lack of empathy from Nico Harrison.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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