Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving practiced with his new team Tuesday for the first time since the Brooklyn Nets traded him to Dallas.
On Tuesday, Irving also spoke to the media, saying he feels "really wanted" in Dallas and there's been "nothing but genuine love" from the organization so far.
"Shoutout to Mr. Cuban," Irving said. "Shoutout to the whole front office. The Dallas organization. I've been here for about 48 hours, a little bit more than that. It's been nothing but a warm embrace. Nothing but genuine love."
Dallas sent the Nets Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick and two future second-round picks.
In 40 games with Brooklyn this season, Irving has averaged 27.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game on 48.6 percent shooting from the field.
Irving, who grew up a New Jersey Nets fan, said he knew there would be speculation about why he requested a trade from the Nets.
In November 2022, Brooklyn banned Irving without pay for five games, and a day later, Nike announced it was halting its relationship with Irving, who was suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
While Irving said what happened in Brooklyn is water under the bridge and that he wishes the team well, he also said he felt disrespected by the organization.
"I just know I want to be places where I want to be celebrated and not just tolerated or kind of dealt with in a way that doesn't make me feel respected," Irving said. "When things start to change and you're not getting transparency and honesty from people in the front office or people around you, I don't know what person feels confident in that type of environment."
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