As Kyrie Irving prepares to return to action with the Dallas Mavericks training camp beginning next Tuesday, the star guard opened up about why he remains committed to the franchise despite two years of significant organizational change.
Speaking with Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban on Saturday, Irving acknowledged the turbulent stretch Dallas has experienced while explaining why his connection with the franchise and its fans continues to keep him invested.
“I was talking to my family about this yesterday, just reminiscing on the change in the last few years and how it’s impacted me and how it’s impacted just Dallas in general and this fandom,” Irving said. “I’m not going to shy away from saying it’s been a little chaotic at times, inside the locker room as well as outside… I feel like last year there was a game where P.J. [Washington] was shooting a free throw and it was a little tough on him to recalibrate after that because the fans were yelling and stuff, going back and forth.”
The changes have been substantial. Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers at the 2025 trade deadline in the blockbuster deal headlined by Anthony Davis. One year later, the Mavericks moved Davis to the Washington Wizards at the 2026 deadline.
Dallas continued reshaping its roster this offseason, acquiring Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team deal. The Mavericks also parted ways with longtime head coach Jason Kidd and hired Dusty May to lead the franchise into its next chapter.
Kyrie Irving when asked about why Dallas is still the place for him:
“I’m not gonna shy away from saying it’s been a little chaotic at times, inside the locker room as well as outside…I’m in love with this place just because of how welcoming it was, not just from the franchise… pic.twitter.com/N4UoAH3Wwl
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) September 26, 2026
Kyrie Irving embraces leadership role with new-look Mavericks
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Through it all, Irving remains committed to Dallas.
“I know we’re past that stage but little instances… I think we all kind of had to reset,” Irving said. “New faces being around here, a lot of guys that just want to come in and do the right thing and I think I’m right on board with that. I’m in love with this place just because of how welcoming it was, not just from the franchise aspect but also the fans, lot of support around the city. And I just feel confident that whatever we’re putting on the floor this year we’ll do the best of our ability and we're building something.”
Irving's return will represent another major change for Dallas after he spent the 2025-26 season recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in March 2025. He now joins a new-look Mavericks group headlined by reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg and Risacher.
For Irving, the focus is no longer on what Dallas has lost or changed, but what the Mavericks can build moving forward.
“I’m not sure what exactly that looks like… but I’m just turning the page and just looking forward to building something new,” Irving said. “Having these guys rally around each other, rally around them. They lean on me for leadership, I lean on them for energy and vice versa and we’re just putting the past where it is and honestly, reminisce when it’s time to do that but making sense of it moving forward is just having a championship mindset that whatever we face we can deal with.”