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SOCCER

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Kyrie Irving has found new purpose in Dallas alongside Cooper Flagg

KYRIE IRVING HADN'T played a game for the Dallas Mavericks in more than 18 months when he organized an informal minicamp for the team in Southern California in early September, including new head coach Dusty May and his staff.

Irving hosted basketball workouts along with beach yoga, but his priority for the trip was continuing to build camaraderie with his younger teammates, including 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, the player Irving calls his "19-year-old co-pilot."

"When you've done what he's done," May said, "the younger guys especially hang on every word."

Irving has served as a leader and a valued voice in the Mavs' locker room since he arrived in Dallas via trade in February 2023. Despite having played just 130 games in a Mavs uniform, he is now the team's longest-serving player after Dwight Powell's 12-year tenure ended when the veteran center was waived this preseason.

Irving's time in Dallas has "been a little bit chaotic at times," as he puts it, but he has been a calm, steadying presence throughout the franchise's roller-coaster ride of the past few years.

He was the vocal leader and co-star of the Mavs' 2024 Finals team alongside Luka Doncic, and he was as shocked as anyone when former Dallas general manager Nico Harrison traded the perennial MVP candidate before the next trade deadline. Irving stood out as a voice of reason and empathy during the franchise's extended public relations catastrophe in the midst of fan outrage following the trade, further endearing himself to the Mavs' fanbase.

He has remained enthusiastic about being in Dallas as the organization completely overhauled the front office, the coaching staff and much of the roster. That includes moving on from all the major figures involved in the Doncic deal -- Harrison was fired last November -- and big man Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the return but who suited up for only 29 games (plus two play-in appearances) in a Mavs uniform.

Now Irving, 34, who was once brought in to be Doncic's co-star, finds himself as the veteran presence on a franchise building around Flagg -- and facing questions about when he, like Doncic and Davis before him, might end up on the road out of town. The speculation is fueled primarily by the 15-year age gap between Irving and Flagg, and the franchise's mission of building a sustainable contender around its teenage prodigy.

For now, the Mavericks' goal is a simple one: Establish a winning culture with Flagg, and get back into the playoffs for the first time since that 2024 Finals appearance.

"We're building something. And I'm not sure exactly what that looks like," Irving said. "I'm just going to turn the page. I'm looking forward to building something new."