Getty Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving tries to block Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden's shot
Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving clapped back at Adrian Wojnarowski after the ESPN insider described Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden as “disgruntled.”
During an event in China as part of a marketing tour for Adidas, Harden called Sixers president Daryl Morey a “liar” and said he won’t play for Philadelphia again. After Harden’s quotes went viral, Wojnarowski tweeted a link to his ESPN article titled, “Disgruntled 76ers star James Harden slams ‘liar’ Daryl Morey.”
Irving responded to Wojnarowski’s tweet by saying, “Is he Disgruntled Adrian?? Or is he holding Darryl Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer?”
Harden is unhappy with Morey “over the lack of a long-term maximum-level contract offer” this summer, according to Wojnarowski. The 10-time All-Star and 2017-18 MVP wants to get traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Irving and Harden were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets for 35 games. Both superstars wound up requesting trades from the organization. Harden has requested trades from the Houston Rockets, Nets and Sixers, while Irving has demanded trades from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nets.
Anonymous Member of Mavericks Breaks Silence on Re-Signing Kyrie Irving
An anonymous member of the Mavericks told Keith Smith of Spotrac in July that re-signing Irving in unrestricted free agency “was priority number one.”
Irving re-signed with the Mavericks on the first day of free agency on a three-year, $126 million contract.
“Re-signing Kyrie Irving was priority number one,” the anonymous member of the Mavericks told Smith. “Adding depth to our frontcourt was probably next on the list. And adding some young talent that fit with Kyrie and Luka (Doncic) was also high on the priority list. We feel like we accomplished all of those goals, even if there is still work to be done.”
Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 20 games with the Mavericks last season. He finished the 2022-23 season with overall averages of 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists with the Nets and Mavericks.
A future Hall of Famer, Irving has a 15% trade kicker in his new contract with the Mavericks, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. A trade kicker is the percentage of a player’s salary that is awarded as a bonus in the event of a trade.
Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sees Mavericks Acquire $109 Million All-Star
A trade proposal has the Mavericks acquiring one of the top small forwards in the NBA.
On August 12, Lee Tran of Fadeaway World proposed the following three-team blockbuster trade between the Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors:
Golden State Warriors Receive: Pascal Siakam
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Andrew Wiggins
Toronto Raptors Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Green, 2026 First-Round Pick (DAL), 2028 First-Round Pick (GSW)
Wiggins helped the Warriors win the 2022 title over the Boston Celtics in six games. He was rewarded with a four-year, $109 million extension in October 2022. The one-time All-Star will earn $24.3 million next season.
The 2014-15 Rookie of the Year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wiggins appeared in 37 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.3% from the floor, 39.6% from 3 and 61.1% from the free-throw line.
The 28-year-old Wiggins, who was the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft out of Kansas, has career averages of 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists with the Timberwolves and Warriors.