Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
News of the Dallas Mavericks trading for Kyrie Irving put the internet on hold over the weekend. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski, the deal itself, much like the internet, was on hold. Woj explained on Monday afternoon that the Brooklyn Nets were looking to expand the deal by involving a third team.
“Nets-Mavs trade still hasn’t been made official with league office because Nets are evaluating opportunities to expand deal w/ a third team. Teams are expected to make two-way deal official in next couple of hours – unless Nets find something bigger to fold into it,” he tweeted.
Many conversations in the league are going through one team today: the Toronto Raptors.
Shortly after Woj’s report, the Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the deal was done.
Official:
Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Brooklyn Nets.
The final agreement between Dallas and Brooklyn saw the Mavs give up Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick, and 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.
Prior to requesting a trade from the Nets, the 30-year-old 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.
His stats on the year impressed enough fans to land him a spot in the NBA All-Star Game as a starter, alongside former teammate Kevin Durant.
Irving and Durant didn’t have the success that many predicted that they would, when they teamed up in Brooklyn back in 2019.The duo was 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.
Luka Doncic Signed Off on Kyrie Irving Trade to Mavericks: Woj
Woj has been all over this trade ever since the initial deal was agreed upon. He reported that the Mavericks’ front office ran the deal by star Luka Doncic, 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, he wrote. “The Mavs can now wait to see how the rest of the season goes before deciding on a new deal for Irving.”
Mavericks Refused to Include Josh Green in Kyrie Irving Trade
The reason that the Nets were reportedly looking to find a third team to expand the trade, very well could have been because they didn’t get exactly what they’d hoped from Dallas.
According to The Athletic’s Tim Cato, Brooklyn had “strong interest” in Mavs wing Josh Green, but Dallas had no interest in including him in the deal for Irving.
“Several sources indicated the team prioritized Josh Green, a blossoming 22-year-old wing, to not being included in the trade despite Brooklyn’s strong interest in him,” Cato reported.
Green has played well for the Mavericks all season. He’s appeared in 34 of the Dallas’ 54 games, playing 22.7 minutes each time. The 22-year-old averages a career-high 8.1 points per game, to go along with 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He has also been having the most efficient year of his career, shooting 55.4% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc.