Mandatory Photo Credit – The Canadian Press
Kyrie Irving has been OFFICIALLY traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
The full details below:
Dallas’ Grade: D
Listen, that might seem harsh. But it really isn’t.
Here are some facts about the Dallas Mavericks.
- Luka Doncic DESPERATELY needed support. The Mavericks have been playing with a dearth of talent for basically his entire tenure.
- The Mavericks, historically speaking, have had trouble convincing free agents to play in Dallas. It was a problem when they had Dirk and it has remained a problem. They had to try and kidnap DeAndre Jordan! Mark Cuban was scouring the city for him! Free agents are literally hiding from Cuban rather than signing with him in free agency.
- The NBA free agent class is not loaded with star talent and every team looking for a star has been waiting with bated breath to see who would be the next one available.
The Mavericks specifically, might have been the most desperate team in this scenario.
Luka Doncic is a singular talent in the league and the rest of the roster around him is SCARSE.
It was a drastic misstep to not lock up Jalen Brunson when they were in extension talks last season, especially when they had no plan in place to replace him.
The problem is with adding Irving you have three huge caveats
- He’s an expiring contract and they can’t even begin extension talks with him until June.
- He’s been… how do I say this nicely… flippant in the past about his desires (teammates, location, team, beliefs, literally anything)
- He and Doncic on the floor in a playoff series will be a PROBLEM defensively. Like a gigantic, can’t possibly avoid talking about it when mentioning this team problem.
- Like guys, they won’t stop anyone.
- And they just traded their best defender for Kyrie.
- And oh yeah, he’s KYRIE IRVING. TEAM KILLER.
- KYRIE HAS NOW LEFT TEAMS WHO HAD LEBRON JAMES, JAYSON TATUM AND KEVIN DURANT ON THEIR ROSTER. THAT’S THE MOST IMPRESSIVE HIT LIST IN NBA HISTORY.
Luka and Kyrie will be very fun. And I respect Mark Cuban for taking a big swing to keep his franchise player happy and give him a co-star.
Kyrie Irving just isn’t that guy.
The Mavs will lose before the West Finals and Kyrie will be a Laker in the off-season.
And the clock keeps ticking on Luka as a Maverick.
Brooklyn’s Grade: C
Brooklyn maximized a bad situation, but it’s a situation that they put themselves in.
Going all the way back to the summer, Durant and Irving both requested trades and then rescinded them going into training camp.
We have known about Kyrie’s discontent with Joe Tsai, Sean Marks and the rest of the organization for some time now. This isn’t news. It stems all the way back to 2020, when Irving refused to be vaccinated and continued until the final trade request and subsequent trade.
Kevin Durant is what made it work. Durant is a generational talent whom the Nets have catered their entire organization to.
Irving was just a part of the price to obtain Durant. They were originally acquired as a package deal. They were the prizes of the 2019 free agency, so when the Nets were able to get both!? We thought it was gravy.
I’ve yet to type the name James Harden, but he HAS to be mentioned as a part of this Irving-Nets eulogy.
The Nets traded away the farm for Harden, and it never worked with him. It came as close as Kevin Durants big toe, but even in that game 7 against Milwaukee, Irving was out and Harden was playing with a severely injured hamstring, an issue that’s stayed with Harden.
They traded Harden for Ben Simmons and now it’s being reported that Simmons has “zero value” across the league.
And now Irving is gone, replaced by Spencer Dinwiddie (who was traded away from Brooklyn during this entire three-year debacle, but remains a serviceable guard), Dorian Finney-Smith (an actual 3 and D defender that can help the Nets this season) and future picks , the Nets should be reprimanded for how poorly they have managed some of the most valuable assets in the NBA.
They’re operating like it’s NBA 2K in real life. There’s a reason those guys are in ever deal you propose to the trade finder.
For this year? The Nets honestly don’t change much to me. Sure they miss Irving’s scoring ability, but will ridding the distraction of Kyrie be a gain for the locker room who has been through turbulent times in the past?
Dinwiddie, Curry and Cam Thomas will get increased opportunities and they will be better and more flexible defensively because of Finney-Smith.
Essentially, the Nets will go as KD goes.
And while they’ll miss Irving’s scoring punch, they’ve managed to build a roster of great shooters, solid wing defenders and have a stable Big Man in Nic Claxton to hold down the interior.
The East is tough at the top, with Philly, Boston and Milwaukee presenting challenges and rosters that may be too much for KD and crew to overcome.
But if anyone can overcome that in the East, it’s Durant.
And this roster is now built specifically to optimize him as a player offensively and defensively.
For all of the fans that have called KD soft, a snake, and whatever other hating ass comment they’ve had since he left OKC, they get their wish. KD is on his own. No other stars to rely on. The team is solid around him, but he is the engine and all blame and all credit will be given to him, whether that’s just or unjust.
…or he gets traded by Thursday ?♂️
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