Getty Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks.
Star Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been a sneaker free agent for a few months now, after his deal with Nike was revoked due to some, let’s just say, extracurriculars. The 31-year-old does have hopes to get back into world of kicks sometime soon.
After Dallas’ overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, he was asked if he had plans to travel to Asia this summer. Irving then explained that any travel plans would be set after he signs a new shoe-deal.
“I’ll set my plans once I sign with a potential shoe brand” Irving said via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth. “That’s usually how it goes in my scheduling from June to August — usually planning an Asia trip or China trip specifically. Once I sign with a shoe brand, I’ll start wrapping around in kind of this international world tour to introduce myself as a new brand signee or signature athlete.”
Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving hinted at his plans to sign with a new signature shoe brand when asked if he plans to visit China in the near future.
“I’ll set my plans once I sign with a potential shoe brand. That’s usually how it goes in my scheduling from June to August —…
Irving’s 41-point outburst in Atlanta certainly would’ve caught the eye of any sneaker company. He got his buckets efficiently as well, knocking down 16-of-27 attempts from the floor. Unfortunately for Uncle Drew, his performance wasn’t enough, as the Mavs fell to the Hawks 132-130.
Kyrie Irving is ‘At Peace’ With Mavs’ Future Plans
Kyrie’s future in the world of kicks is uncertain, as is his NBA future. His contract expires at the end of the season, making him an unrestricted free agent. Many have speculated that he’ll elect to leave the Mavericks, as things haven’t gone great since he joined the team in February.
However, Dallas’ star guard recently shared his thoughts on the team’s future plans, saying that he’s “at peace” with the ongoing process.
“I think the realistic view is that when I came here, this was going to be a growing process,” Irving said via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth. “This was for the long term, and this was for something that’s bigger than ourselves, and we can’t just be a championship team overnight, especially me coming here. So I think I’ve wrapped my head around that aspect of it. I’m at peace with it. It doesn’t mean that I’m giving up on this season or any of my teammates are, but we know where we realistically are, and our destiny is in some other team’s hands losing games. So we just got to control what we can control and focus on the next few possessions that we have in these next games against some really good teams that want to position themselves for the playoffs. We’re fighting for a spot, so I look forward to the challenge. But again, in the last six minutes of the game, I felt like we could have been better clear, including myself.”
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving was asked if there’s enough time to build the necessary chemistry in the final few games, given the scramble the standings has caused.
“It’s been a scramble since I’ve been here. So, trying to fill in roles that kind of fill in from other people. And I…
Kyrie Irving Sounds Off on Transition After Trade to Mavs
Again, the Mavs have had trouble coming together since their trade for the star guard. They’re currently a full game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final Western Conference Play-In Tournament spot.
Irving shared some insight about the difficulties of joining a new team mid-season, after Dallas’ March 28 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Just human nature, man,” Irving said of Dallas’ struggles and him fitting into a new situation via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’m getting traded to a new work environment, and it’s just a lot of newness. I’m trying to introduce myself to everybody, figure out, you know, who do guys go to on the team to confide in off the court? Who is our coaching staff as people? Upper management, who are they as people? What do they expect from me? The big question, why they traded for me? And, you know, what does it look like for the future? That’s the big question. What does our future look like? What does our future look like? I think that now, again, just where we are in the season, and where other teams are positioned already, it kind of looks like a bit of a clusterf***, to be honest with you, because we’re 37-40, and we’re trying to fight to get into the play-in game.”
This is Kyrie Irving’s very long (and thoughtful) answer to what its been like being traded midseason for the first time in his career, which is where the “it kind of looks like a little bit of a clusterfuck” quote came from.
