Mark Cuban silences speculation: Kyrie Irving knows it's Luka Doncic's team

In a recent interview with NBA Radio during the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League campaign, team owner Mark Cuban made headlines with his comments about the dynamic between his star players, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Cuban firmly put to rest any potential power struggle, asserting that Kyrie Irving understands and acknowledges that the team revolves around Luka Doncic. The Mavericks drafted Doncic back in 2018, and he has been the Mavs' superstar from early on.

Mark Cuban Silences Speculation: Kyrie Irving Knows it's Luka Doncic's Team

"I think Kyrie is mature to the point now where he knows it's Luka's team. Luka knows this. He knows, and that's what's important, and he's willing to play more of a shooting guard role. When Luka is out, we have a point guard who can score and create for other guys, they're both players who make their teammates better, and we didn't have that before."

- Mark Cuban

The Mavericks' owner emphasized the importance of having a well-rounded team, and he highlighted the struggles the team faced when Doncic was off the court. Once they traded for Irving, things got better when it came to someone stepping up when Doncic was on the bench.

"Once Luka went out, we struggled, we struggled mightily, and Luka had to do too much. We put a lot of pressure on Luka. We did struggle defensively after the trade but that was for a lot of reasons, it wasn't Luka or Kyrie, but offensively you know we had one of the top lineups, we were the top two or three in the NBA"

- Mark Cuban

The decision to re-sign Irving to a new three-year, $126 million deal raised eyebrows, as there were reportedly very few suitors in the market for him this offseason. However, Cuban's priority remains to keep Doncic content and happy, given his status as a rising superstar in the league.

Cuban's belief in the potential of the Doncic-Irving duo is evident, especially as it eases the scoring burden on Doncic during the long and challenging NBA season.

"That is where Irving's value is really felt, given he can score at will and keep the scoreboard moving when Doncic goes to the bench or takes a few plays off during a quarter"

- Mark Cuban

Although there were murmurs among NBA circles about treading carefully to keep Doncic satisfied, Cuban's faith in the duo's chemistry and ability to make each other better players remains steadfast. The Mavericks' owner is hopeful that the combination of Doncic's youthful brilliance and Irving's championship experience will prove to be a winning formula for the team.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Mavs this offseason, so stay tuned.