Who Was Included In the Trade?
Kyrie Irving, the eight-time all-star, was officially traded to the Dallas Mavericks on January 5. The trade included Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and three picks, while the Nets gave up Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris. This will be an interesting change as both teams gave up very important players. Dinwiddie was the second leading scorer on the Mavericks averaging 17.7 points, and he was Doncic’s sidekick as they have played together for two years. Spencer Dinwiddie is returning back to his old team where he played for five seasons. Kyrie Irving was also the second-leading scorer for his team averaging 27.1 points for the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving’s trade request was a shock to many as the Nets have been looking very good this season. The Brooklyn Nets went on a 12-game winning streak at the beginning of December, which raised their rankings. Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Kyrie Irving were looking like a force to be reckoned with in the future. Kevin Durant recently went out with an MCL sprain, and the Nets have been streaky since. Despite this, the Nets are sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, but will this stand?
Mavericks’ Future with Irving?
The Mavericks have been good this season as well following behind stellar play from Luka Doncic. Luka Doncic averages 33.4 points per game, along with 8.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists. The Mavericks rely on Doncic a lot, which allows the team to be very predictable. Kyrie Irving is one of the greatest scorers of all time and will make things harder for defenses to stop this unit. Irving is in a very similar situation as he was in with Brooklyn, accompanied by a great scorer and not much else help around him. Irving and Durant have been a recipe for success this season, but will Irving be able to carry it on to Dallas? Only time will tell if Irving will be able to improve this team, and the NBA world is excited to see it.
The Dallas Mavericks had their first game on February 6, where Kyrie Irving will be playing and Luka Doncic is questionable.
Written By: Willie Hurt
Sources:
Land of Basketball: Kyrie Irving Profile and Basic Stats
Stat Muse: Luka Doncic Stats
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Erik Drost’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Erik Drost’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License