“You don’t let go of Luka Doncic unless you have Kyrie Irving in your backcourt”. Thar was Stephen A. Smith, bringing the fire on First Take the morning after Kyrie Irving signed a new 3- year, $119 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks. But instead of applause, Smith found himself in the middle of a firestorm.

While the ink has barely dried on Kyrie Irving’s new deal, and somehow, the biggest story is not the Mavs locking on their co-star. It is the commentary surrounding it, and Stephen A. Smith is once again right at the center. Irving, a nine-time All-Star and one of the most polarizing talents in NBA history, tore his ACL in March after playing some of the most inspired ball of his career.

He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists last season, and was the clear stabilizer after the Mavericks shocked the world by trading away Luka Doncic in February. Fast forward to this week, with his $43 million player option looming speculation was swirling. Would he opt in? Would he walk?

Then the news dropped of the 3-year contract, which includes a player option for 2027-28. But breaks down to just under $40 million per year, a significant drop from $50-60 M. The day after the deal went public, First Take wasted no time. And Stephen A. Smith did what he does best: gave his unfiltered take. “I think Kyrie Irving got lowballed,” on X formerly Twitter First Take posted a clip Smith declared. “You want to know what Kyrie Irvin meant to the Dallas Mavericks before his injury. They were willing to unload Lucky Doncic, a twenty-five-year-old Global Basketball iconic figure with playoff numbers that compared to Michael Jordan.” 

And in typical Stephen A. fashion, he did not stop there. He called out Mavs’ ownership. Questioned whether Mark Cuban would have paid more, “If this were Mark Cuban, he would have had more, no question about it. They would have made that investment.” And claimed that “he was smart to take that bag, but he deserved more. Make no mistake about it”. 

Now, some fans agreed with him, pointing out Kyrie’s leadership, on-court wizardry, and his value to the team. Now built around Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and now Cooper Flagg. Kyrie was the glue after Luka’s departure. Others, however, are roasting Stephen A. for what they see as “revisionist history”. 

Mavs fans call out Stephen A. Smith 

Let us not forget, this is Kyrie Irving we are talking about. There is a long trail of chaos, controversy, and locker room drama behind him. The Mavs took a chance in 2023, and it worked. But at 33, he is now recovering from a torn ACL. The same injury that has kept younger players out for entire seasons, and sometimes permanently changed their careers. “Coming off a torn acl at 34 this is not a low ball at all Stephen idiot smith,” one fan posted on X.

Mavericks Nation is not joining Stephen A. on this one. Yes, Kyrie might have been headed for $50 M+ payday before the injury. And he is one of the most skilled ball handlers in the game. But there is a reason Dallas did not go that high: the ACL tear changes everything.

“He’s coming back from an acl injury,” another fan commented. And if Kyrie comes back next season and looks like vintage Kyrie again, he still has the player option or extension talks waiting. One netizen wrote, “I think Kyrie and is agent know his worth. No one forces Kyrie to do anything he doesn’t want to do.” 

This was not Dallas disrespecting Kyrie. This was Dallas protecting itself and rewarding Kyrie with long-term security. “He is trying to help his team save money to compete for a ring”. Kyrie got paid, got security, and stayed with a franchise that believes in him, even with an ACL injury on his record. 

As one Dallas fan put it best, “Yeah, but he’s coming off an injury that will have him out a whole year, and he’s older. It would be crazy for them to give 50plus at this stage of his career off an injury. 40 per, is a great deal for him.” 

While Smith can call it a “lowball” but this was not about throwing max money around. So, if Kyrie returns close to form, that deal might just end up looking like a bargain.