1. Kyrie Irving
When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving at the NBA Trade Deadline from the Brooklyn Nets, the hope was that he would be somewhat of a final piece for the team as they searched for a second star next to Luka Doncic. That didn’t exactly how it all panned out. The Mavs missed the playoffs and now, heading into the offseason, the team has more questions than answers.
Kyrie is an unrestricted free agent and they have to make a big decision regarding his future with the team. In a vacuum, the expectation is that the Mavs will re-sign him. But it’s not that easy considering his off-the-court issues and the fact that he’s likely going to demand a max contract extension.
In the 20 games he played with the Mavs, Kyrie averaged 27 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game on 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. The talent can’t be undenied. The big question is whether the Mavs value his talent over the potential risk that comes with the potential huge contract that it will likely take to re-sign Kyrie this summer.
That said, there’s really no other option that the Mavs have than to re-sign him.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks