Kyrie Irving discusses his free agency return to the Mavericks.

Kyrie Irving says the entire Dallas Mavericks organization has welcomed him.

The Dallas Mavericks are currently fourth in the Western Conference after 24 games of the NBA season. One of the main reasons they have a winning record is because of point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving discussed what prompted him to re-sign with the Mavericks this offseason in an interview with Rachel Nichols.

“Nico (Harrison), J (Jason) – Kidd, made that decision a lot easier,” Irving said, according to Showtime Basketball. “We have history together. You know, just being in different spaces and really trusting each other to be the best possible version of ourselves. So once they laid that out on the table for me it was an easy decision to come back to Dallas.”

After years of clashing with organizations he’s played for, Irving appears to have finally found a place where he feels at ease. The 32-year-old became famous for his highlight plays and flashy moves while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving is best known for co-leading the Cavs to a championship in the 2015-16 season, which culminated in an incredible finals comeback against the Golden State Warriors.

However, Irving’s subsequent stints with the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets did not go as planned. In 2019, his messy divorce from the Celtics turned the Boston faithful against him. Nets owner Joseph Tsai criticized the distribution of a controversial film filled with antisemitic conspiracy theories. Being traded to Dallas last year was a breath of fresh air for Irving, a chance to start over. It also helps that everyone in the organization welcomed him warmly.

“Then you throw Mark (Cuban) and Luka (Doncic), in there as well. Those guys welcomed me with a lot of warmth and had nothing but great things to say about me when I wasn’t even on the team, so that makes things a lot easier,” Irving added.

Irving also mentioned how he wishes he had received the mentorship and guidance that the Mavericks organization provides to its players when he was younger.

“I mean if you look at some of the most successful organizations over the last 10 years, obviously not just winning a bunch of championships but having a solid foundation, a solid group of players that really speak highly of their experience and how much they enjoy playing with the teammates they had,” Irving said, referring to the Mavs. “I just think in my heart, in 2011, me getting drafted as a young person, needing a lot of mentorship, needing a lot of nurturing, I could look back on it now and say I needed these things. I could’ve used this.”

As the Mavericks look to extend their winning streak this season, the Dallas community can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Kyrie Irving is in good spirits with the team. Uncle Drew may not have had the best track record, but based on his interview, it appears that this fresh start was exactly what he needed to get back on track.

In other news, players the Mavericks are looking to trade for after Dec. 15