Mavericks Kyrie Irving 'happy to come back' after free agency - ESPN

DALLAS — Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving described himself as «happy to come back here» after the eight-time All-Star re-signed with Dallas in free agency following an exploration of his limited options elsewhere in the league.

Irving and the Mavs agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $126 million in the opening hour of free agency, a contract negotiated by his agent and stepmom, Shetellia Riley Irving. Due to having Irving's Bird rights after trading for him last season, the Mavs could offer Irving significantly more money than other potential suitors who interested him, such as the Phoenix Suns, who were limited to veteran's minimum deals in free agency.

«It wasn't too difficult of a process,» Irving said after Thursday's practice, the first time he has spoken to the media since the final week of last season. «Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list. Obviously I looked elsewhere — salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league — but there just wasn't much space. And me being 31 now, I had to have a different vantage point, and I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace.

»So I took everything into account. I took my time a few days before free agency just to be with my family, gauge how they felt about being in Dallas alongside me. And everybody was excited. I mean, even when I got traded here, midseason, a lot of my family was excited and they were just looking forward to me having a peace of mind just on the court and off the court. I had already dealt with enough last season or the past two seasons, so they knew that I just wanted a lot of that off my back and off my shoulders of feeling like I had to be Superman or I had to