Mark Cuban reveals strategic reason why the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks made one of the biggest moves in franchise history on February 6, 2023.

Dallas sent the Brooklyn Nets Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, and two second-round picks in exchange for star point guard Kyrie Irving. The trade didn't work out immediately, as the Mavs plummeted in the standings and missed the playoffs.

But Irving didn't seem flustered by this as he knew what the plan was going forward.

Mark Cuban reveals strategic reason why the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving

After one of the Mavs' games back in March against the 76ers, Irving said that Dallas traded for him "for the long term."

Most Dallas fans took this quote with a grain of salt, as they considered Irving's past with other teams, but Irving could have been sending a message that he was going to re-sign at that point. Fans speculated all summer that Irving was going to leave the Mavs, but his return to Dallas was confirmed right at the beginning of free agency.

Mark Cuban appeared on the SiriusXM NBA Radio Show on Tuesday, and the way he talked about Irving and the trade Dallas made to get him sounds quite similar to how Irving talked after the game against the 76ers.

He was asked if he was confident that the Mavs could retain Irving in the offseason after trading for him. "Otherwise, why would we do it," Cuban said. "We traded for him because we wanted him to be a long-term piece."

Irving and Cuban's thoughts seemed to line up regarding the trade, and it ended up working out as the Mavs re-signed Irving to a three-year contract. It would have been unfortunate if the Mavericks couldn't re-sign him, as they gave up so much to trade for him.

Just like Cuban said, he had a feeling that Irving would re-sign, and that ended up paying off in the long run. It wasn't the best move for the short term, as Dallas missed the playoffs, but the future is bright with Irving and Luka Doncic.

Stay tuned to see what other moves the Mavs make in free agency. We'll have you covered with all the latest news surrounding Irving and the Mavs.