Refusing to renew the contract! What s going on with Owen?

This is the thing. According to a report by veteran reporter Marc Stein, the Mavericks had planned to renew Irving's contract for $120 million in three years, but now the situation has changed.

On the one hand, Doncic has left the team, and Irving's value for the Mavericks is weakening. On the other hand, it was caused by the ACL injury that Irving encountered, and this major injury blow would definitely affect his future contract.

As early as the summer of 2023, Irving and the team completed a three-year, $126 million contract renewal. Now there is only one year left in this contract, and the last year is the player option, which is next season.

So Irving will face a choice this summer. He can directly jump out of the contract and become a free agent this summer, or choose to execute the contract, or directly finalize a new contract with the Mavericks.

From Irving's perspective, he has just suffered a major injury that has affected his career, so he must have hoped to finalize a long contract, after all, this is likely to be the last big contract in his career.

But for the Mavericks, this will be a difficult choice.

Let's take a look at Irving's condition this season. He played in a total of 50 games, averaged 36.1 minutes per game, handed in 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals, with a shooting percentage of 47.3% + 40.1%, and a real shooting percentage of 59.4%.

As a comparison, Irving contributed respectively in the past two years...

-22-23 season, 27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists,

-23-24 season, 25.6 points, 5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, so overall, Irving's condition is as stable as ever. As the point guard with the best skills in the league and taking the ball + shooting without the ball, as long as he can play, Irving's output is of quality and quantity.

, and Irving in the playoffs has always been a master of tough battles. Last year, he repeatedly stood up at critical moments and eventually led the team to the finals. The playoff version of Irving is more valuable than the regular season.

It's a pity that at the most critical moment of renewal, Irving suffered a major ACL injury. In addition, Irving is 34 years old next season, so it can be foreseen that the maximum salary is basically gone.

Salary experts listed Irving's various possible renewal options...

1. Reject the player option and completed a five-year, $314 million renewal with the Mavericks.

2. Reject player options and adjust the size of your contract extension according to the contract of Davis (2+1 contract, 3 years 175 million).

3. Execute the player option, and add a 4-year contract renewal on this basis, with the highest contract renewal of 4 years 240 million.

4. Execute the player option and choose to reduce salary, and sign a contract similar to Paul in 2018, which is about 160 million yuan in four years, but the third year is partial guarantee and the fourth year is non-guarantee contract.

5. Sign a contract with the Mavericks that contains injury protection clauses, similar to Zion and Ball.

From the perspective of the Mavericks' team building, they have just won the No. 1 pick and will soon gain the cornerstone of building a team of historical levels like Flag. In addition, the team's current lineup will have it now and in the future.

They are definitely inclined to renew Irving, because as long as the team's current lineup remains healthy, they still have the strength to compete for the championship.

But from the perspective of practical rationality, the first and third types are almost impossible. The Mavericks will definitely not give a maximum salary again, and it is even more impossible to give a fully guaranteed super contract. Such operational risks are very high.

So the remaining 3 options are the options discussed by Irving's agency team and the Mavericks this summer. Of course, it is also possible that Irving directly implements the player option next season and re-plays his net worth and hits the maximum salary next season. Such an operation is impossible for others, but Irving has the courage and courage.

No matter what, I sincerely wish Irving a return to the court as soon as possible. The loss of players like Irving who play gorgeously on the court and have noble personality and charm off the court is a loss to the entire basketball world.