Google News Kyrie Irving on his future: I don't want unwarranted distractions on Mavericks
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Kyrie Irving says he would like to avoid questions regarding his future as for now he would just like to focus on helping the Dallas Mavericks enjoy a long playoff run. Irving, who was traded to the Mavericks after demanding a trade from the Brooklyn Nets prior to the trade deadline, will be a free agent after the season ends.
After Irving demanded a trade, the general belief was that he wanted to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers. But the Nets didn't want to trade Irving to his preferred destination, sending him to Dallas.
But now that Irving is with the Mavericks, there are a lot of speculations regarding his future beyond this season. "It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team. I've dealt with it before, and it's very emotionally draining to ask questions like, 'What's the long term? What's the long term?'" Irving said, per ESPN.
Irving: I'm taking it one day at a time
"I will say that from the start, from when I came here, there's been nothing but a warm embrace, nothing but genuine love and nothing but a familiarity of relationships that I can really look to in times of questioning or confusion.
There's just a positive note there. I'm just taking it one day at a time. That's all I can do in this life. What the future holds is really only going to be dictated on what I do right now and how I prepare for those next steps, and that's being the best teammate that I can be in that locker room and a great leader out here and within the Dallas community and within the NBA.
I'll just continue to be myself," Irving added. On Monday night, Irving played his first home game for the Mavericks. Unfortunately for Irving and company, it wasn't a great Monday night as they suffered a tight 124-121 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Irving had a big performance in his home debut as he dropped a game-high 36 points. Also, Irving had five rebounds and six assists.