Kyrie Irving just gave Mavericks something other contenders can only dream about

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the summer by signing Kyrie Irving to a team-friendly three-year, $119 million deal to keep him as a franchise cornerstone for the next three seasons. Irving was always expected to return to Dallas, as he has enjoyed the last two and a half seasons as a Maverick, but the amount that he signed his contract for was something fans could only dream of.

Irving, making less than $40 million on average despite being one of the best point guards in the NBA, was a selfless gesture by him in free agency, as he clearly deserved a bit more considering everything that he has given Dallas, and him taking a pay cut gave Dallas the gift of flexibility heading into free agency.

The Mavericks remained under the second apron after signing Irving, allowing them to utilize the taxpayer's mid-level exception, which they used to sign D'Angelo Russell. Without Irving signing this team-friendly deal, the Mavs likely wouldn't have had enough money to sign Russell, and Dallas not having to worry about Irving commanding an unreasonably large contract saved them a major headache that could've derailed their offseason.

Kyrie Irving saved the Mavericks from a free agency nightmare

Other contenders around the NBA can only dream about having a superstar as selfless as Irving, as he sacrificed some extra money for the overall good of the team. This doesn't happen often, and it shows just how much he likes Dallas and everything they've built.

If Irving had commanded a little bit bigger of a contract, the Mavericks could've surpassed the second apron, which would've made their offseason a nightmare. The second apron is extremely hard to navigate in today's NBA, and they likely would've been stuck with just veteran minimum contracts to hand out for all of free agency in a year that they are desperate to return to the NBA Playoffs.

They likely wouldn't have been able to lure Russell to Dallas with a veteran minimum deal, and they could've even been forced to make a gutsy trade to address their backcourt depth since they would've had zero money to spend in free agency. The Mavericks still may not have enough shot creation on their roster, even with Russell in town, and only being able to utilize veteran minimum deals would've made it much harder for them to sign their stopgap point guard for this season.

The Mavericks wanted someone who could run the offense while Irving is out and then be able to play alongside him once he returns, and Russell fits that mold perfectly. Dallas wouldn't have been able to find a point guard in free agency who is versatile in that way if they didn't have the taxpayer's mid-level exception at their disposal, and all of the positive effects of Irving taking a pay cut haven't even been seen yet.

The difficulties of navigating the second apron can be seen from different contenders across the NBA, as the Boston Celtics had to virtually dump Kristaps Porzingis to free cap space this summer, and Mavericks fans should be thankful that they weren't in this position ahead of free agency.

Dallas now enters next season with nearly the same 15-man roster from last season, except they added Cooper Flagg and Russell while losing Spencer Dinwiddie. Mavs fans should be excited for next season, and thanks to Irving, the team was able to pull off one of the biggest steals of the summer by bringing in Russell.

He is truly an outstanding fit for what Dallas is trying to do, and he seems motivated to prove the doubters wrong after an up-and-down season with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.