Nets trade Kyrie Irving to Mavericks in blockbuster deal: reports

by Ana Julia Dickinson — February 5, 2023 in Sports

Kyrie Irving’s trade request was reportedly fulfilled.

The Brooklyn Nets are sending the polarizing point guard to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and several second-round picks, according to multiple reports.

Irving requested a trade after failed contract talks with the Nets, just days after being named an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference. Irving said that if they didn’t trade him, he would become a free agent, and a report also indicated that he could sit out the rest of the season.

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Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on January 30, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 121-104.
(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Now, Irving will team up with another extremely talented guard: Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.

It was reported the previous Sunday that Irving would be sidelined until Brooklyn finalized a trade. He sat out Saturday night’s win over the Washington Wizards after the team said he was dealing with soreness in his right calf.

Nets fans were clearly frustrated that Irving called for a trade, as his picture appeared on the Jumbotron at Barclays Center before the game to boos from the crowd.

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Irving now heads a Dallas team that sits sixth in the Western Conference standings at 28-26, falling short of the Nets’ 32-20 record and current fourth seed in the East. But the pairing of Doncic and Irving will be a two-headed monster that could cause trouble for the West in the coming weeks.

Doncic is just second in the league in points per game at 33.4 behind Joel Embiid’s 33.5 with the Philadelphia 76ers. But Doncic isn’t selfish on the ball as we’ve seen with his 8.2 assists per game, so Irving, who is averaging 27.1 points per game to earn an early All-Star nod, will get the ball. .

The question now is whether the Mavs intend to give Irving his contract extension, which he reportedly wants to be in the four-year to $198.5 million range, according to ESPN. That was a key issue in the breakdown of talks with the Nets.

FILE – Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets speaks before the team’s NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in New York.
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat were other destinations rumored to be in the running for Irving.

Brooklyn was riding high with Irving and Durant signing together to join them ahead of the 2019-2020 season, believing it was the start of something that could lead to NBA titles. But injuries and controversy surrounded this marriage, especially when it came to Irving.

This season, he was suspended eight games for posting a link to a movie on Amazon that spread anti-Semitic disinformation. While unapologetic at first, he was later allowed back on the team after completing a checklist.

Then there was his decision to forgo the COVID-19 vaccine, which led to him playing just 29 games for the Nets last season as he couldn’t play at home due to New York City restrictions.

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Irving also missed significant time during the 2020-21 season due to civil unrest in the country, though he was still named an All-Star that year.

In his four years in Brooklyn, Irving finishes with an average of 27.1 points per game, the most he has with any team thus far, with 3.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 143 regular-season games.

In the 2019 NBA free agency period, Kevin Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Although he was ruled out the following season due to his torn Achilles tendon, he still signed a max contract. Durant teamed up with his old friend Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn in hopes of bringing a championship to New York City. Kevin Durant is seen above walking down the court between teammates Kyrie Irving, left, and Edmond Sumner, right, in a game against the Washington Wizards.
(Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

The furthest the Nets got in the playoffs while Irving was in Brooklyn was the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. They ended up losing in seven games, though Irving missed the last three due to injury.

Last season, the Nets lost in a sweep to the Boston Celtics.

Dallas traded two starters in this deal in Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith. Dinwiddie is the most notable player here because of his previous experience in Brooklyn.

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Fans loved Dinwiddie’s progression into a true scoring threat, especially from 2018-20. Dinwiddie averaged a career-high 20.6 points per game in the 2019-20 campaign, which was Irving’s first season. and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn (Durant, however, was out with an Achilles injury all year).

Dinwiddie finally landed with the Washington Wizards in 2021-22 after playing just three games in 2020 due to an ACL injury. But his three-year deal lasted just 44 games with the Wizards, as he was traded to the Mavs that season.

This year he averages 17.7 points in 34.1 minutes per game.