NBA Free Agency: Kyrie Irving staying with Dallas on a 3-year, $126M deal

Kyrie Irving isn’t going anywhere.

Despite being linked to other teams like the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, the West Orange, N.J. native has agreed to remain with the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year, $126-million deal, according to ESPN.

Luka Doncic also has three years remaining on his deal in Dallas and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on air that Doncic has been in touch with Irving, telling him, “We want you back.”

Irving averaged 27.0 points and 6.0 assists in 20 games with Dallas last season after being traded by the Nets at the deadline. He shot 51% from the field and 39% from deep.

“I think this is a win for both parties,” ESPN analyst and former New Jersey Nets star Richard Jefferson said on ESPN after the news was reported.

“Kyrie had some leverage but if he had a ton of leverage he would’ve got a four-year deal. So he gets the three-year deal. Kyrie is a late-game closer, he’s all the things that you want as a player.

“But I think for Dallas, they win here. They were able to keep their pick. They were able to draft. They were able to bring back the players they wanted, and now they have the full mid-level exception so they can still add more players. So for Dallas, this was an overall win.”

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Irving, an eight-time NBA All-Star, has career averages of 23.4 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds.

Jason Kidd, the Mavericks coach and former New Jersey Nets star and Brooklyn Nets coach, said earlier this year the franchise wanted Irving to be a “Mav for life.”

“We’re going to do everything to keep him, and we hope that we’ve done everything to make him comfortable, and want to be a Mav for life,” Kidd told Rachel Nichols.

Irving and the Mavericks missed the NBA postseason after the team essentially opted to tank at the end of the season by not playing its top players. Owner Mark Cuban was fined $750,000 by the NBA as a result.

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.