Kyrie Irving has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks! Mark Cuban’s franchise seems to have agreed on a deal with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Kyrie in a trade. According to reports, the Mavs will send Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie the other way, along with first and second-round picks.
BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets are trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round and multiple second-round picks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2023
The trade will come as a shock to the NBA community as Kyrie was heavily linked to joining the Lakers. Fans even demanded that LeBron James should get involved in the trade rumors and help Irving move to LA. However, it looks like all of it has come to an end right now.
The Nets-Mavericks talks accelerated on a trade today, sources said. The Lakers and Nets had several conversations on a potential deal, but Nets preferred Mavs’ package — getting back a point guard and wing to plug in now plus the future picks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2023
The Mavericks were one of the teams linked with Kyrie ever since he submitted a trade request. Reports claimed at the time the Brooklyn Nets board was willing to keep Irving on the sidelines until they agreed on a deal. It sure looks like they have found one that works for them, as Kyrie is one of the superstars that the Nets have fought hard to keep.
How will a Kyrie Irving-Luka Doncic partnership do at the Dallas Mavericks?
Mavericks fans will be absolutely delighted to know that Kyrie will line up alongside Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. Along with that, Christian Wood will also be beneficial for the team once he returns from injury. The Mavs roster now looks interesting as Luka and Kyrie are both great scorers. Moreover, both of them are great dribblers as well. This would be one of the reasons why Jason Kidd might have to tweak things up to ensure Luka’s phenomenal season does not go to waste as well.
The Mavericks’ new projected starting lineup:
Kyrie Irving
Luka Doncic
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Dwight Powell
Christian Wood🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/eG3V5kH1gX
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 5, 2023
The Slovenian is averaging 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists this season and he looks to be only getting better game after game. Kyrie, on the other hand, has put up 27.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds on average this season. His numbers are not exactly what they used to be, but they indicate that Irving is still one of the best players in his position.
Some might argue that having Kyrie and Luka on the same team might not be beneficial, since both of them are point guards. But a point to remember that Luka has not played the role of a traditional point guard for a while now. The Mavs superstar has been a forward at times. Luka also roams around the perimeter, looking for options to split up opposition defenses or driving to the rim on his own. With both Kyrie and Luka on the same team, the Mavs will have two of the best guards in the league. Only time will tell how this partnership works out.
