The Dallas Mavericks made sure to get Luka Doncic help during the 2022-23 season and didn't want to let that go, re-signing point guard Kyrie Irving to a three-year, $126 million contract with a player option.

Will Kyrie and Doncic Click in Year 2?

When the Mavericks added Irving to the roster by acquiring him from the Brooklyn Nets, the obvious goal was to make one of the league's best duos that could lead them into the playoffs -- and hopefully more. Irving made his debut for Dallas on February 8th, and from that point, the Mavericks went 9-18 and missed the playoffs. The All-Star point guard didn't play in seven of those games, so the Mavericks' record when he did play was 8-12. That's not going to cut it -- especially for a Dallas team who made the playoffs as the fourth seed the season prior.

Irving was solid in his 20 games as a Maverick, finishing with 27.0 points per game, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds, but it's evident there will need to be more of a connection on the court between him and Doncic if there's going to be any success for Dallas. They also need to build up the roster around both.

Moving over from the Nets, Irving's win shares rose from .140 to .198, signaling signs of this being a good fit for the future as Dallas is hoping for. He also shot better in Dallas at .510 from the field overall, but that sample was just 20 games.

Betting Odds Impact

The re-signing of Irving did help the Mavericks' title odds after there was minimal word before free agency started whether not he'd be back or move on. He was even rumored to be visiting the Phoenix Suns, according to Bleacher Report's Chris B. Haynes.

Prior to Irving's re-signing, the Mavericks had +2600 odds, sharing the same with the Cleveland Cavaliers and trailing the Memphis Grizzlies (+2300) and Los Angeles Clippers (+2300). The odds have since improved to +2300 for the Mavericks, now ahead of Cleveland and Memphis, while still trailing the Clippers (+1900). Dallas has the 10th-best odds to win the title.

Bringing back a star like Irving clearly has its benefits, and the odds shift clearly shows that his return wasn't fully expected before the news. Had Irving officially moved on from the Mavericks, it may have only got worse for them.

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