Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Dallas Mavericks made the move of the NBA trade deadline thus far, striking a deal to land star point guard Kyrie Irving. Now, Luka Doncic will get the chance to play with a fellow All-Star for the first time in his career. But according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, there is another reason the Mavericks wanted to bring Irving on board.
They believe Irving can help recruit fellow star players to Dallas.
“LeBron [James] tells ESPN that he is “disappointed” in Lakers inability to “land such a talented” player.
“Indeed I’m told that part of Mavs’ desire to acquire Kyrie Irving, besides what they believe is a strong fit with Doncic, is his proven track record of recruiting star teammates,” Townsend tweeted.
Throughout the course of their history, the Mavericks have been unable to lure stars to Dallas. Whether it be Dirk Nowitzki or Doncic, players just haven’t been willing to make the move and go play for the Mavericks.
Townsend tweeted as much in a follow-up message to his original point.
“That’s a component the Mavs for whatever reason haven’t had, regardless of what many believed should be a strong lure to play with Dirk Nowitzki, then Doncic. Harrison and Kidd were hired in part for that reason, and their close ties with Irving made Dallas attractive to Irving,” Townsend tweeted.
With Irving and Doncic in town, the Mavericks will hope to make a deep playoff run for the second year in a row and worry about the former’s contract extension at a later date.
Before getting traded to Dallas, Irving had appeared in 40 of the Nets’ 50 games and was playing 37.0 minutes per contest. He is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 48.6% shooting from the floor and 37.4% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Kyrie Irving Excited to Play With Luka Doncic
After Irving forced his way out of Brooklyn, some people questioned whether or not he would get along with Doncic in Dallas. However, according to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, Irving is excited to play alongside Doncic.
“Kyrie Irving is said to be ‘ecstatic’ about the trade to Dallas Mavericks and ‘looking forward’ to joining forces with Luka Dončić, a league source tells @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport,” Haynes tweeted.
As noted, Irving will be the first All-Star Doncic has played with. Kristaps Porzingis was an All-Star prior to joining the Mavericks, but he never got back to that point during his time in Dallas.
Mavericks Looking to Trade Tim Hardaway Jr.
Now that Irving is officially a Maverick, Dallas isn’t done. According to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, they are now looking to move on from Tim Hardaway Jr. ahead of the February 9 trade deadline.
“Dallas has discussed options to move Tim Hardaway Jr., multiple people familiar with the Mavericks’ approach pre-Irving said.
“Though he can boost the offense when in a shooting rhythm, Hardaway’s contract is viewed as a long-term investment that doesn’t justify his streaky high-volume production while limiting the Mavericks’ future financial flexibility,” Caplan wrote.