Yesterday, Shams Charania reported that the Brooklyn Nets are sending Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round draft pick, and multiple second-rounders.
Irving requested a trade last Friday ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline on February ninth, and the Nets were able to deal him rather quickly. It was originally reported that the Lakers, Suns, and Mavs were the front runners to trade, and Dallas ended up being the one to pull the trigger on the star guard.
WHY THE MAVERICKS DECIDED TO TRADE
Luka Doncic is averaging a career high for minutes played this season, and his workload has been one of, if not the highest in the league. He’s hitting a career high in field goals attempted, he’s taking more trips to the line than ever, and it has also been his highest scoring season to date. The Mavs have been searching for a right hand man to take some of the load off of Luka’s shoulders, and on paper Kyrie should be the perfect fit.
Luka’s versatility on the floor makes it hard to find a player that would mesh with him, but Kyrie is a unicorn on the offensive side in his own right. While Irving has the build of a point guard, he isn’t necessarily a jigsaw piece fit for that role. ESPN’s Andre Snellings says it best, calling him “more of a shooting guard in a point guard’s body that has an amazing handle”.
Kyrie could be the perfect guy to knock down shots off of Luka’s passes, while also carrying the load when Doncic needs a rest. I do not see Irving entirely taking over the point position from Luka, what I see happening is Irving working off ball while Luka continues to create chances for himself and his teammates.
MY THOUGHTS
I said this trade should be perfect for the Mavs on paper, but I don’t think that’ll be the case in practice. As a Celtics fan, I can see the trajectory of Kyrie’s time in Dallas before it’s even begun. There is simply too much luggage that comes with his talent, but unlike Deion’s, it’s definitely not Loui.
Irving finds a way to distract himself and his teammates when they need him most. While his uniqueness makes him a star on the court, the same uniqueness off the court seems to dismantle whatever team he’s on. From the Cavs, to the Celtics, to the Nets, I’ve seen this story unfold too many times to fall for the same trick all over again.
As much as I love Luka as a player, and as much as I appreciate Kyrie’s game when he’s at his best, I think that the Mavs just made an awful decision by adding Irving to the lineup.