Kyrie Irving Addresses Nets Trade Request, Embraces New Mavs Opportunity

NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving discussed his trade request from the Brooklyn Nets, along with his new beginning as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

LOS ANGELES — Kyrie Irving is gearing up to make his Dallas Mavericks debut when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. It'll mark the start of an opportunity that he's appreciative to have — a fresh start with a warm welcome.

“I’m super excited,” Irving said of becoming a Maverick. “I really feel wanted. I know they had to give up some pieces for me to get here. I don’t take that for granted. Shoutout to Mr. Cuban and the whole front office, and the Dallas organization. I’ve been here for about 48 hours, and it’s been nothing but a warm embrace and nothing but genuine love.”

For a new thing to start, something else had to end. As in Irving's case, he had to request to be traded before he could depart from the Brooklyn Nets. He is set to reach free agency this offseason, and with the ever-increasing value of controlling your Bird rights, he needs to close out the season on a team he wants to be on. 

Irving didn't want to get into the details of his Nets exit, but he did make clear that he felt "tolerated" by his former team as opposed to being appreciated. He wants the focus to be on his work ethic and basketball. 

"I just know I want to be in a place where I'm celebrated, not just tolerated or kinda dealt with in a way that doesn't make me feel disrespected," Irving said regarding the motivation for his trade request. 

"There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected and my talent — I work extremely hard at what I do, no one ever talks about my work ethic, though. Everyone talks about what I'm doing off the floor. I just want to change that narrative, write my own story and just continue to prepare in the gym, and now that I'm in Dallas, focus on what I control."

When playing for a team in New York City, the media landscape is as intense as it gets. Irving, one of the NBA's most popular players, being teamed up with Kevin Durant, naturally is going to bare the brunt of the focus within the market. Irving felt that he became "an audience member" to frequent media leaks.

"I think that's another day where I could really go into detail about it. I'm not the person to really speak on names and go to someone behind their back and try to leak stuff to the media. That's never been me. I've been an audience member watching people say things about me that ultimately just falls off my shoulder.

“I just know I need healthy boundaries, especially in this entertainment business. There's a lot of disrespect that goes on with people's families, with their names. I'm just not with it. It's nothing personal against any of those guys in the front office, it's just what I'm willing to accept."

In a new situation, Irving made his desire to compete for a championship clear, while acknowledging that he is looking forward to the mentorship he will receive from coach Jason Kidd and general manager Nico Harrison, both of whom are prominent members of the Mavs organization with prior relationships with Irving. 

“With Nico and Jason, I know they’re going to push me beyond where I think I am right now,” Irving said. “And that’s the type of mentorship and guidance I need at this point in my life.

“I’m not a kid with an NBA dream anymore. I don’t want to dream in this space. I want to win. And I want to win with guys that exemplify greatness every single day. And it’s not just on the court. It’s in their professionalism, it’s how they treat others, it’s in relationships and it’s genuine and authentic.”

If a coach can get the best out of Doncic and Irving — now the NBA's highest scoring duo — the ceiling is intriguing, to say the least. The mentorship that Irving seeks is something that Kidd is looking forward to providing.

“My job is to help,” Kidd said. “And also push. You heard him (Irving) say he wants to be coached, so my job is to push him to be great.”

Does Irving, who helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a successful 2016 NBA Finals run, believe the Mavs can follow suit? The veteran didn't want to declare the Mavs as the 2023 NBA champions on the podium, but he envisions strong potential for the team, if the day-to-day preparation and focus is present. 

“I think anything’s realistic if you’re disciplined and focused and you’re consistent and you prepare,” Irving said. “How we approach every single game is going to be led by J-Kidd. I’m just following suit, following other coaches, following my teammates and when I’m needed to play other roles, just do that."

Irving, who holds the belief that "anything's realistic" with this Mavs team, sees championship possibilities as long as the team stays disciplined on the day-to-day measures that go into completing the long journey required to achieve such a feat.

“You’re going to be tested,” Irving said. “Any championship run is going to challenge you all across the board. Nothing is going to be perfect. So I don’t expect it.

“So the expectation of course is to work toward a championship. Me saying here that we’re going to win a championship is not going to do anything. It’s just words. I’d rather show you out there and let the chips stay where they are.”

Whenever stars joins forces in the NBA, the first natural instinct for many is to pick apart whether it'll work or not, well before the players actually take the court. Irving made clear that he's not only unconcerned about fitting alongside Doncic, but rather, he's very intrigued to play with him, and the rest of his new teammates. 

“It’s still a wait and see, but for me, am I worried about us coexisting, finding cohesion? No,” Irving said of his fit with Doncic. “I’ve played with some of the greats of all time. This is going to be my first time seeing one of those bad Europeans come over and really dominate up close and have an opportunity to do it at a pace that I don’t think has ever been seen before other than like Larry Bird, somebody else who just plays at their own pace, scores a bunch of points and constantly is in the MVP conversation every year because he commands that much attention.

“As much as I can lead alongside him, I’m willing to do. But there’s no pressure here. Nothing’s forced. I just want to enjoy his talent and my teammates’ talent and work toward a championship.”

The earliest opportunity to potentially see Doncic and Irving share the floor will be when the Mavs play a back-to-back in Sacramento later this week. Doncic has been sidelined due to a heel contusion, but is traveling to Los Angeles on Wednesday to join the team for the remainder of their road trip. 

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