Kyrie Irving is a talent. But is the talent worth the baggage? That will again be a question many NBA teams ponder as the offseason looms. 

The Dallas Mavericks decided on Feb. 6 that he was, trading a slew of talent to the Brooklyn Nets to pair the eight-time All-Star with their own superstar in Luka Doncic. What happened next: The Mavs went 7-18 down the stretch and fell from the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference all the way to No. 11. They didn't even make the playoffs. 

(The Nets, meanwhile, qualified as the No. 6 seed in the East.)

Irving will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and while the Mavericks publicly say they want him back, nothing is guaranteed. After all, LeBron James wants him, too. After The King was swept out of the Western Conference Finals, LeBron appears to be pulling his usually offseason leverage tactic - this time it's talking about retirement since he can't use leaving in free agency as a threat - to reunite with Kyrie in LA. 

Will LeBron get his way? Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson has used his NBA contacts developed over 20 years covering the sport to create these hypothetical NBA futures odds on Irving's team for the 2023-24 season. 

Kyrie Irving Free Agency Odds

Odds are for entertainment purposes only and do not reflect odds that may be available on betting sites and sports betting apps.

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Irving, 30, is a superstar talent in an expected free agency market mostly void of them. This season he averaged 27.1 points, 5.1. rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, but the Mavericks got worse when he and Doncic paired up (the Mavs were 5-11 in games they both played). 

Kyrie's durability, vaccination status and other personal issues limited him to only 103 out of a possible 226 regular season games with the Nets. But a fresh chapter could be good for Irving. 

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The Mavericks have stated they want him back. And Irving has 272 million reasons to return. He can re-sign with the Mavs for a max of five years and $272 million, or four years and $202 million with another team. 

On paper, Irving and Doncic are stars to build around. It didn't work this winter, but a full offseason to retool and build a roster around their talents may be the way the Mavs want to go, and it could be the best option for Kyrie himself. Irving and the Mavericks reportedly made a "handshake deal" soon after the season ended, and it's been said he isn't the type of player that would take anything less than a max deal. Dallas can afford to do so, most other contenders cannot without an overhaul. 

Other teams will surely look into adding the enigmatic Kyrie, starting in Los Angeles. 

The Lakers have been in the conversation when it comes to Kyrie for more than a year. Kyrie reportedly wanted to join LeBron James and the Lakers when he was in Brooklyn. Now that he's a free agent, the door has opened again. With L.A. point guard D'Angelo Russell also a free agent, a roster spot exists and there is funding. 

There is also a heightened sense of urgency in L.A. After the Lakers were swept by Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, King James indicated he had to think about whether he'd play next season. Nobody believes he'll really retire - he's outwardly said he wants to play a season with Bronny James, who likely will enter the league in 2024-25. 

Many took it as a message to Lakers management that next year needs to be an all-in year before James potentially exercises a player option and goes wherever Bronny is drafted. There are reports he wants to re-join forces with Irving, who was courtside for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in LA. The two paired to bring a title to the Cavaliers in 2016. 

Irving's interest in joining with LeBron is clear as well. It may take a pay cut on Kyrie's behalf, but a final run at a championship, and moving to glitzy L.A., may be too enticing to pass up. 

There are other options, including another one in Tinseltown. The Clippers, too, may lose their PG in Russell Westbrook. Westbrook was moved across the hall in a trade from the Lakers, and it worked out. But Westbrook is also an unrestricted free agent. 

Both L.A. teams could entice Irving to move, but is a four-year deal (or five years, in a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks) worth the heavy price? The Lakers and Clippers already each have two superstars taking up two-thirds of their cap space. 

Speaking of sign-and-trade, that offers additional opportunites for other teams that may be seeking help at the point but have cap concerns. 

The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly been given the green light by ownership to shop PG Trae Young. A Kyrie-for-Trae trade could be a nice "change of scenery" move for all parties. 

The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz are among the few teams that could afford to add a max deal in free agency this summer. The Jazz aren't likely to pursue him, but the Rockets want to make a splash. If James Harden doesn't return to town, Kyrie may be the next target. Meanwhile, the Spurs won the NBA Draft lottery and generational talent Victor Wembanyama with it. Could that be enticing to Kyrie? A bigger question could be, is that at all enticing to the Spurs? 

The Chicago Bulls could be a wild card. They have pieces that suggest an "all-in" trajectory and PG Lonzo Ball could miss all of next year after having a third knee surgery in March. A sign-and-trade with the Mavs could add a huge piece, though it would come at a cost.  

The Field is led by the few teams left that can't afford Irving straight-up but are in seeking a star player to pair with stars already in the fold, including the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.

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