26-06-2025
Stephen A. feels that the Mavericks low-balled Kyrie with his new extension: "If this were Mark Cuban, he would've had more"
Stephen A. feels that the Mavericks low-balled Kyrie with his new extension: "If this were Mark Cuban, he would've had more" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made a strong statement about Kyrie Irving's reported contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks.
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Irving will reportedly decline his player option for the 2025-26 season to sign a three-year contract extension with the Mavs. According to SAS, Kai got lowballed because he agreed to a deal that will pay him less per year than what his player option would have paid him.
"In today's economy where you got cats getting paid $55, $60 million plus, you couldn't give this guy at least $43 to $45 million a year? Remember, he was supposed to be getting a player option that would have given him $43 million. So, to me, at $119 million, that is a fraction less than $40 million per. Kyrie Irving deserves more than that. And so it has me looking at ownership because I'm saying, 'Okay, if this were Mark Cuban, he would've had more.'' No question about it. He would've made that investment," said Smith.
Kyrie is worth more than $40 million per year
Cuban was the Mavericks' majority owner from 2000 to 2023, when he sold the team to the Adelson family. During his tenure, Mark transformed the Mavs from doormats to champions and was known as one of the best owners in the league because he knew how to take care of the people who worked for him and always did what was best for the fans and organization.
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Meanwhile, the same cannot be said about the Adelsons, at least when looking at things from the outside. The new owners traded Luka Doncic in February, giving up on a 25-year-old generational talent whom their fanbase loved like their own. And as if losing Luka wasn't bad for the fans, the new owners then increased the ticket prices after the trade, citing "ongoing investments in the team."
The Mavs recently signed Daniel Gafford to a team-friendly three-year $54 million extension this offseason. And now, they're giving Irving less than $40 million a year when, in comparison, players like Bradley Beal ($53 million) and Lauri Markkanen ($46 million) make more per year.
Related: "We only needed one more guy" - Patrick Beverley says the Clippers lost SGA because Kawhi thought he needed more help
SAS tells Shammgod to leave Dallas
Smith's rant did not end there. With rumors that the Orlando Magic are interested in hiring Mavericks player development coach God Shammgod, Stephen A. advised the former NBA player to pack his bags and join the Magic, whose head coach used to be his fellow assistant in Dallas.
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"I also saw some reports about Orlando being interested in God Shammgod," added Smith. "He's an assistant coach in Dallas. I'm advising him on national TV: Leave! Get the hell out of Dallas. That new ownership, and some of the decisions that they're making to curb cost and what have you, they seem to be more about numbers rather than taking care of the people they need to take care of."
It's a no-brainer that Kyrie is worth more than $40 million annually, but Irving may be considering that he won't be playing most of this season and is still getting paid. Also, Smith did not factor in what he's always been talking about, that the Mavs are a championship contender when everybody's healthy.
Irving has won before and knows too well that stars need to make sacrifices to build a contender. And if Kyrie isn't complaining, why should anyone do it for him?
Related: "There's a fan base saying, 'We lost Luka. What you got?'" - Stephen A. Smith warns Mavs fans not to pressure Cooper Flagg from the jump
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
