Mavs’ Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry Among Top 10 ‘Best Deal’ Signings

The Dallas Mavericks made several transactions this summer, and the contracts of Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry are viewed favorably heading into the new season.

Every offseason, NBA free agency usually comes in one big wave, with most signings happening within the first 24-48 hours. With those signings, you have a combination of overpays and good deals.

According to Spotrac’s Kieth Smith, the Dallas Mavericks ended up with two of the top-10 ‘best deals’ of the summer with Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry. Dallas re-signed Irving to a three-year, $126 million contract, and it signed Curry for his third separate stint in Dallas with a two-year, $8 million contract.

“If we stick to on-court production, Irving remains an excellent player. He’s an annual 50/40/90 threat, and fills up the scoring column with ease,” Smith writes.

“The defensive fit alongside Luka Doncic is messy, but that’s something for Jason Kidd and the front office to figure out by putting the right guys around the stars. Irving will deliver scoring and playmaking in droves…for however long he’s on the court.”

USA Today

The front office did its part by putting better players around Doncic and Irving this summer, including Curry, Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Richaun Holmes, Dante Exum and Derrick Jones Jr. Now, it will be up to head coach Jason Kidd and his coaching staff to make all those new talents fit together.

“Let’s stay in Dallas for a minute… What happened here? The Dallas Mavericks stole Seth Curry in free agency. This is barely above a veteran minimum deal. Complete larceny by the Mavs,” Smith writes.

“Sure, Curry is 33 years old and he’s had some injury challenges over the last few years, but he’s one of the best shooters in the league. You know what you want around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving? Shooting. OK…3&D guys ideally, but if you have to pick one way, grabbing an elite shooter never hurts.”

At 43.5 percent from deep for his career, Curry is the third-best three-point shooter in NBA history. And to make things more encouraging for the Mavs, Curry’s career-best season from beyond the arc came during the 2019-20 season — his previous stint in Dallas — where he scorched the nets to the tune of 45.2 percent.

Given that the Mavs now have some upgraded talent on team-friendly contracts their two stars … as well as presumed better locker-room vibes with these new players being willing to accept their roles, Dallas should be in for a big bounce-back season.

---