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The Dallas Mavericks front office has done a solid job gathering pieces this offseason to be title contenders in 2024. They added Grant Williams in a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs and retained All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who was a free agent.
But on paper, the roster is missing something. And the Mavs will need to be fully equipped to contend in a loaded Western Conference. Lorenzo Almanza of “The Smoking Cuban,” predicts that the Mavericks could land a third star to pair with Irving and Doncic soon.
“This might be the year Dallas finally lands a third star to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving,” Almanza writes. “This offseason, the Dallas Mavericks were linked to several high-caliber players, including Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton. Dallas is one piece away from becoming Finals contenders, and they still seem to want a starting center.
Kyrie Irving Sounds off on Sports Gambling
The emergence of online sports gambling has become intertwined with how the games are consumed by fans. Online sports betting is currently legalized in 26 states, with more likely to come. But its popularity has become overwhelming for some people.
In some cases, the gambling odds are promoted during the games. During NBA on TNT broadcasts, “Inside the NBA” hosts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley make live gambling picks sponsored by FanDuel. Some believe that the emergence of online gambling is good for the sport, but Mavs star Kyrie Irving believes it has taken the “purity” away from basketball.
“Gambling and sports betting has completely taken the purity and the fun away from the game at times. I am gonna just be honest with y’all,” Irving said during a Twitch stream in March via Sports Illustrated.
“There is a difference between being a diehard fan and supporting your team and loving your team versus somebody that’s betting on a parlay. … Do not get me wrong. I do not want anybody wasting their money on me. But goddang this whole community of gamblers has come into the game of basketball.”
Kyrie: Gambling Is ‘Tainting the Game’
It would be one thing if sports gambling was just a harmless addition to the game. But the fact that fans are investing their own money into gambling has made them venomous towards players. A missed free throw or a turnover can cost an individual hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of dollars. Some fans even go as far as to threaten athletes over social media. Irving believes it is “tainting,” the game.
“I’m just gonna call it out. Everybody is talking about their f—ing ticket. I’m not gonna say I don’t care about your ticket, but if you want to gamble, why don’t you gamble on something that makes sense, to you? And if you gamble on me, I’m not going to tell you whether it’s a good gamble or bagging, I’m just saying you’re gambling. You’re gonna win or lose,” Irving added.
“But that doesn’t mean sliding into people’s DMs, wishing bad on them, or doing the extra s— that goes on. It blows my mind sometimes. … Because as a hooper, I’m just trying to get a bucket. I’m trying to win ballgames most importantly, and I’m gonna be successful some nights and I’m gonna fail but overall, the reason why I said peace of mind is everything. Just look at these distractions that ultimately take away from the game. I’m just saying it’s tainting the game.”
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