Charles Barkley’s Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving prediction is gold for Knicks fans
Knicks fans have multiple reasons to pull for the 2023-24 season to be another disaster for the Mavericks, but not too much of a disaster, as New York will have Dallas’ 2024 first-round pick if it falls outside of the top 10. As long as the Mavericks don’t tank again, the Knicks should get the first-round selection from the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
More importantly, a poor 2023-24 could be enough to push Luka Doncic over the edge. The 24-year-old is signed through the 2025-26 season and has a $48.9 million player option in 2026-27. Dallas is trying to avoid a disgruntled superstar in Doncic, and the front office did well this summer by bringing in names like Grant Williams and Seth Curry, as well as drafting Dereck Lively III.
Still, Charles Barkley thinks the Mavericks made a big mistake in giving Kyrie Irving a three-year, $126 million contract in free agency. On “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the NBA legend gave his ill-fated prediction on how the future will go for Dallas.
"“I was surprised they gave him that much money, but like I said, I don’t think the Luka/Kyrie thing is going to work.”"
Knicks could benefit if Mavericks have poor season with Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving
Charles Barkley added Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving don’t complement each other well on the court, and now that they’re “married,” the future looks bleak for the Mavericks.
Barkley’s prediction isn’t meant to reflect negatively on Doncic, but on Irving, whose stint in Brooklyn was a catastrophe from start to finish. Irving wasn’t responsible for all of the Nets’ failures during his two-and-a-half seasons there, but he didn’t do himself or the team any favors with his off-the-court actions.
It’s hard to envision next season going smoothly for Dallas given Irving’s past, and it’s even harder to believe the next two seasons that he’s under contract (he has a player option in 2025-26) will pass without any major drama.
Doncic is regarded as the best young player in the NBA, and the Mavericks desperately needed to bring in a star to play alongside him, but took a considerable risk on Irving. It’s a high-risk, low-reward situation that could come back to haunt Mark Cuban even worse than his decision to not re-sign Jalen Brunson when he had the chance.
New York and Dallas swap players regularly, and Knicks fans would love it if Luka Doncic one day called Madison Square Garden home. The front office is closely monitoring the Joel Embiid situation that could implode at any minute, but Leon Rose should also have Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo on his radar too. The 2024 offseason could be interesting, to say the least.
