Nick Crain | 2/5/23

In what was breaking news on Sunday afternoon, the Brooklyn Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks. Earlier in the week, Irving requested a trade after extension talks weren’t trending in the right direction with the Nets, which really accelerated conversations with several teams around the league. 

To bring Irving in, the Mavericks parted ways with a significant package that included Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and second-round picks in 2027 and 2029. Markieff Morris was also sent to Dallas in the deal. 

There’s a lot to unpack in this deal, so let’s take a look at what it means for both sides. 

Dallas Mavericks

This move indicates just how important it was to the Dallas front office to bring in a legitimate co-star to play alongside Luka Doncic. 

There’s no question the theoretical ceiling of this Mavericks team is higher, but there’s absolutely major risk. For starters, Irving has missed significant time throughout the last few years for a variety of reasons. In fact, he’s played 50 less games since 2019 than Kristaps Porzingis, who was traded away this time last year for his inability to take the court on a consistent basis for the Mavs. 

Next, the defense will be an interesting part of the game to follow in Dallas. To this point in the 2022-23 campaign, the Mavericks have one of the worst defenses in the league. To make things worse, they just traded away their best defender in Finney-Smith, and Irving certainly isn’t know for playing quality defense. 

Finally, there’s contract stipulations involved here. Irving is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, meaning he could end up being a short rental for the Mavs if an extension can’t be agreed upon. Between now and June 30, he’s eligible for up to $78.6 million over two years or a max $198.5 million extension over four years, which is reportedly what he’s after.  

Regardless, the Mavericks have pushed their chips in and have a potential championship roster on paper despite losing depth. 

Brooklyn Nets

Through the first 54 games of the season, Spencer Dinwiddie has often times been the Mavericks’ second-best player. This is why he was an attractive chip for Brooklyn to bring in as part of this deal. Furthermore, Dinwiddie really built his career with the Nets, and was a favorite among the team before he was traded away in a multi-team deal back in 2021. Averaging almost 18 points per game this season and only getting better as he gets further removed from his ACL injury, he should be a huge piece in Brooklyn once again. 

While the Nets might not have the star power they had before this trade, they’re much deeper and have the ability to be more consistent. Both Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith play winning basketball and nearly always are healthy enough to take the floor. 

In the postseason, it’s all about playing at the highest level, so both of these new pieces should be a heavy part of the rotation.  

Brooklyn also got draft compensation in this deal, most notably an unprotected 2029 first rounder, which would convey after Doncic’s current contract ends. They can keep that selection or use it as a chip for another trade now or down the road. 

Given the Nets didn’t have much leverage with Irving demanded a trade, they ended up getting a fantastic return for the veteran guard.