There was a lot of speculation about Kyrie Irving joining forces with LeBron James at the Lakers. Early in the offseason, reports suggested that the former Cavs teammates were interested in sharing a locker room once again. The Mavericks put these rumors to bed when they signed Irving to a three-year, $126 Million deal. Several enthusiasts and analysts believe this Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo is one of the most lethal offensive backcourt pairings in the NBA. However, Charles Barkley is of the opinion that re-signing Irving will not be beneficial for the Texas side. Instead, the TNT analyst believes that a sign-and-trade would’ve been a much better option for the organization.
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Charles Barkley recently made an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast. During one point in the conversation, Sir Charles gave his insights on the Mavs’ decision to re-sign Kyrie Irving. The Round Mound of Rebound wasn’t on the same page as the Mavericks’ regarding their decision to trust Kyrie with a $126 Million deal. Instead, Barkley believes the better move would have been to sign and trade the guard.
“I was surprised that Mavericks did that, to be honest with you. I personally, just my personal opinion as an amateur GM, I would’ve did a sign-and-trade,” Barkley said.
Predicting Mark Cuban’s team’s performance in the upcoming season, Charles was brutal with his opinions. The 60-year-old didn’t mince his words when he claimed that the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo wouldn’t be successful. Referencing the 16-game sample size that the pair played together last season, Barkley was baffled as to how the front office believed that this experiment of theirs could work.
“Tried to rebuild my team because I don’t think that the Luka-Kyrie thing works together… You see that small window. They don’t complement each other. I actually thought that the Mavs were gonna do a sign-and-trade. I thought that would’ve been the best way for their team to get better. Now, they are married to each other and I just don’t see that thing working in Dallas,” Barkley claimed.
There is no doubt that Kyrie is one of the better players in the NBA right now. A lethal offensive star, Irving also tends to make his teammates better. However, it is his actions off the court that are alarming. Perhaps Barkley has lost all confidence in the former Duke Blue Devil for his shenanigans off the hardwood over the past few seasons.
Barkley has previously spoken about the Doncic-Irving duo
This is not the first time that Charles Barkley has expressed a lack of confidence in the Mavericks’ Luka-Kyrie pairing. Earlier in March, the Chuckster came up with an explanation for why the Mavs may not perform well with the All-Stars as their backcourt pairing.
Chuck: “[Luka and Kyrie] don’t play defense. They don’t rebound the ball. … They’re both great one-on-one basketball players, and that’s the problem.” pic.twitter.com/igmNkMNN3G
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 3, 2023
Chuck explained that both superstars were highly talented on the offensive end. However, their lackluster performance on the defensive side was what cost the teams to win games.
The likes of Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Richaun Holmes, among others, will have to do much of the heavy lifting on the defensive end when Irving and Doncic are also on the floor. If the rotations are managed well, the Dallas Mavericks could really become a threat in the Western Conference.
