'No Truth' to Mavs Having 'Handshake Deal' With Kyrie Irving

One NBA insider pours cold water on the notion that a "handshake deal" is in place between Kyrie Irving and the Mavs before free agency.

DALLAS — Shortly after the NBA Scouting Combine in Chicago, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus reported there being a "handshake deal" involving Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks before the midseason trade with the Brooklyn Nets was made.

"I hear they had a handshake deal before the trade [with the Brooklyn Nets]," Pincus' source said. "And Kyrie wouldn't have said yes to anything less than the max."

Irving can re-sign with the Mavs for anything worth up to a five-year, $272.9 million contract. If he was to depart from Dallas, he is eligible to sign a four-year, $210.1 million with a different team. The midseason trade was made knowing that Irving could potentially depart in the offseason. 

According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, there is "no truth" to the idea that Irving and the Mavs already have a "handshake deal" in place for a four-year max contract. However, that doesn't mean the All-Star guard won't be back in Dallas. 

"I’ve heard there’s no truth to any reports that Irving has a handshake deal with Dallas on a new max contract for four years with a player option at this time," Scotto said on his podcast. "Not to say he won’t be back in Dallas. They certainly have all the motivation to keep him after trading for him and the financial resources to make him the best offer possible, but nothing’s done as of yet."

Irving finished his 2022-23 campaign averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 36.9 minutes per game. He played 60 games total with his first 40 being with the Brooklyn Nets before playing his final 20 with the Mavs. It was his first time reaching the 60-game mark in a single-season since 2018-19.

The Mavs' top priority remains to re-sign Irving this summer, but reportedly do not have plans to assist in any sign-and-trade with another team. The team needs Irving's impact to fill the role of being Luka Doncic's superstar running mate to maximize their outlook to compete for an NBA championship. 

Another priority for the Mavs will be to improve on defense and at rebounding around Doncic and Irving. Dallas gave up 116.1 points per possession (25th), while producing just a 47.1% total rebounding percentage (30th) last season. The main assets at their disposal will be the 10th pick and a 2027 first-round selection in terms of draft assets, with Josh Green and Jaden Hardy regarding young players with upside. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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