How long will Kyrie Irving stay with the Dallas Mavericks?

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Kyrie Irving before the deadline. They wanted a co-star for Luka Doncic, and the eight-time All-Star point guard instantly became the best player that he has played with during his NBA career. Doncic and Irving will start this year’s All-Star game, and they are two of the most talented players on the planet.

Trading for Kyrie was a risky move. Drama has followed the 30-year-old point guard in recent years, and he played in just 143 of 271 possible regular season games during his three-plus seasons in Brooklyn. Irving is in the final year of his contract, and Dallas gave up two starters and three draft picks to secure his services.

The Mavericks took the gamble because it was a bargain price to pay for a superstar, and they believe Luka and Kyrie can make it work long-term. Irving’s previous relationships with general manager Nico Harrison from his days at Nike and head coach Jason Kidd factored into the team’s decision to trade for him. Kyrie is in Dallas for the rest of the season, but how long will he stay?

Kyrie Irving to become an unrestricted free agent: Are Dallas Mavericks favorites to retain him?

Fans hoping Kyrie signs an extension with the Mavericks before he becomes a free agent won’t be happy. He is only eligible for a two-year deal after the trade, and the two sides do not plan on discussing a long-term partnership until after the season. Kyrie had this to say about questions on his future at his introductory press conference.

"I would love to have the respect of you guys and everybody the rest of the season of not continuously asking me that because it just puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team. I’ve dealt with it before, and it is very emotionally draining to ask questions like, 'What's the long-term?', but I will say that from the start of when I came here, there has been nothing but a warm embrace, nothing but genuine love, and nothing but a familiarity of relationships that I could look to in times of questioning and confusion."

Irving had the Mavericks on the list of teams that he wanted to be traded to last summer, and Dallas has his Bird Rights. How he plays down the stretch and into the playoffs could determine if Kyrie wants to stay in Dallas long-term, but fans know that the eight-time All-Star will have options.