Stein: Kyrie Irving wants to stay with Mavericks, is 'tired' of Lakers narrative

The Dallas Mavericks took their fans on a roller coaster ride this past season, and unfortunately, it didn’t end in happy cheers. Instead, it ended in disaster.

Despite having Luka Doncic at the helm, an All-NBA First Teamer, and trading for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, a superstar point guard, the Mavericks still missed out on the postseason altogether, failing to even get into the Play-In Tournament.

Now, this offseason will be all about righting those wrongs and finding a way to get back into the playoffs and, ideally, competing for a championship.

That won’t be easy, as the Mavericks need to make some serious roster changes, but it is possible. And it all starts with re-signing Irving, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Despite conflicting reports of a potential handshake deal with the Mavericks, there is no actual guarantee that Irving will re-sign in Dallas. However, according to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein, who spoke about the situation on his podcast, #thisleague UNCUT, Irving seemingly wants to stay with the Mavericks. (H/t HoopsHype)

Stein hasn’t heard from Irving directly, but his impression is that the star point guard wants to stay put and is sick of the rumors stating otherwise.

"I think, based on everything I’ve heard, Kyrie wants to stay in Dallas. And one motivation that was suggested to me is that he’s tired of the narrative that he’s trying to force his way to the Lakers. So, why not try to convince LeBron to come to the Mavs even though, again, that’s just not possible. But it’s negotiation time. And he wants to establish himself as having value to the Mavs both on and off the court. That was really my first reaction."

Marc Stein, #thisleague UNCUT podcast

Ever since Irving officially requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets this past year, he has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakes. His connection to LeBron James was too obvious to ignore.

Even after the Mavericks acquired him, Irving was still being mentioned as a potential future Laker, and Stein believes he’s tired of hearing that narrative being spewed all the time.

Instead, Irving flipped the script in a way, attempting to convince James to join the Mavericks. That sort of trade is wildly unlikely, but the fact that Irving is attempting to recruit stars to Dallas is a good sign for Mavericks fans who want him in a blue and silver jersey next season.

Irving has gone on the record stating how frustrated he’s been with people discussing his free agency plans, and maybe he feels as though it’s time to settle in one place, put his head down, and get to work.

If he’s sick of the narratives, the best thing for him could be to simply re-sign with the Mavericks and help Doncic compete for a title. And Stein thinks that’s exactly what he wants to do.

Again, nothing is set in stone, but from the way things are playing out, the chances of Irving re-signing with the Mavericks seem high.