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The NBA world came to a halt on Sunday, after news broke that the Dallas Mavericks had acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets. The Mavs gave up Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2027 and 2029, in exchange for Markieff Morris and Irving, who had reportedly submitted a trade request just two days prior, on February 3.
Once the deal became official, the 30-year-old took to Twitter and posted a message to the Nets and their fans.
“Thank you NetsWorld fans and supporters for the Love on and off the court,” Irving tweeted. “I will forever be grateful I got to live out my dream I had as a Kid with y’all. It will always be Love from me and my family.”
Prior to asking out of Brooklyn, Irving appeared in 40 of the team’s 52 games this season. He averaged 27.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 48.6% from the field, and 37.4% from deep.
Those numbers were good enough to see the 30-year-old be selected as an All-Star starter alongside his then teammate Kevin Durant.
The duo wasn’t able to have the success that many predicted that they would when they teamed up in Brooklyn back in 2019. Irving and Durant were expected to dominate the Eastern Conference for years to come, but never even made it past the second round in the playoffs.
Durant missed the pair’s entire first season together as he worked his way back from an Achilles injury in 2020. In the following season, the Nets fell to the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, and then the year after got swept by Irving’s old team, the Boston Celtics.
Ironically, Irving’s final appearance in a Nets uniform came in a 43-point loss to the Celtics.
Kyrie Irving Expected to Make Mavericks Debut Against Clippers
Of course, once a star player is traded to a new team, the fans begin to wonder when they’ll see him in the new threads. In the case of Irving, he’s expected to make his Mavericks debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 8, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski.
Wednesday’s matchup in Los Angeles is shaping up to be an important one for Dallas. The Clippers sit in fourth place out West, just one game above the sixth seeded Mavericks. A win at Crypto.com Arena would be huge for Irving’s new team.
According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the eight-time All-Star is “estatic” about the trade to the Mavs, and is “looking forward” to joining forces with Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic Signed Off on Kyrie Irving Trade to Mavericks: Insider
The date for Irving’s Mavs debut wasn’t the only aspect of the story that Wojnoroski uncovered.
He also reported that Dallas’ front office ran the idea by Doncic, the team’s star building block, before pulling the trigger.
“The Mavericks also ran the deal for Irving past All-NBA star Luka Doncic, who gave it a nod, a source told ESPN, Woj wrote. “The Mavs can now wait to see how the rest of the season goes before deciding on a new deal for Irving.”
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