Mark Cuban Thought Kyrie Irving Was 'Team Killer' Before Trade

Irving's reputation has seen a major resurgence since the trade to Dallas

Feb 22, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) celebrates with Mark Cuban during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

When the Dallas Mavericks first traded for Kyrie Irving at the 2023 trade deadline, most analysts panned the move, as Irving had a bad reputation as a toxic teammate. He had asked for a trade out of Cleveland and away from LeBron James. He burned out quickly with the Boston Celtics and has made it a point to get back at Boston fans any time he's there. Then, in Brooklyn, he had a lot of off-court situations regarding COVID-19 and other scenarios. Even Mark Cuban thought he was a "team-killer."

Cuban recently appeared on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast and talked about the Mavericks' acquisition of Irving, including what Cuban's perception of Irving was before the trade.

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"Honestly, before I did the work, I thought he was the team killer," Cuban told Sharpe. "There was no reason for me to talk to people about him. If he doesn’t want to play when the Mavs come to town? Things don’t work out on another team? Great. But when the opportunity to trade for him came, it’s okay, let’s do the work. Nico [Harrison] did the work. J-Kidd knew him. Nico knew him for years. It was like, okay, let me talk to folks. And everybody loved him... I knew all these owners. I knew the circumstances. So, it wasn’t a hard decision."

Irving's first few months didn't go smoothly, as the Mavericks fell out of the playoff race in 2023, even tanking the final few games to keep their first-round draft pick. In the 2023-24 season, though, everything started to click. Luka Doncic and Irving combined to average close to 60 PPG last season as the Mavericks made their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011.

Dallas' decision to not only trade for Irving, getting him for just Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie (who is back on the Mavs), and a first-round pick, and then re-signing him last offseason, has saved the franchise. They lost Jalen Brunson for nothing in free agency in the 2022 offseason, and Doncic didn't have a great supporting cast around him. Nico Harrison has done a tremendous job in turning this team into a contender.

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