Kyrie Irving may be one of the most perplexing athletes of my lifetime. Irving has wrecked multiple basketball teams. From the day he requested a trade from the Cavaliers in 2017, citing his capability to be the focal point of his team, Kyrie has gone on to wreck multiple basketball teams on the East Coast.
During his brief tenure in Boston, he played nine playoff games for the team over two seasons before joining the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. With a new “Big Three” of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, the Nets were going to redefine basketball in the New York City area.
This week, Kyrie and Kevin Durant left Brooklyn in different trades, ending what will go down as one of the worst Big Three experiments in history. Kyrie Irving will now get a chance to play in the Western Conference. Irving and Markieff Morris went to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected first-round pick in 2029, and second-round picks in 2027 & 2029.
What Kyrie Brings to the Mavericks
Historically, the Mavericks have never been a big free-agency destination. Despite the tax advantages Texas offers athletes, Mark Cuban does not land big free agents. It makes sense that the organization would gamble on Irving’s talent, especially given his desire to get out of Brooklyn.
It’s also easy to see why the Mavericks gambled and took the chance on him. Irving can put up thirty points a night on average. He’s a match-up nightmare. Paired up with Luka Doncic, the Mavericks instantly have the best backcourt in the league.
It will be interesting to see how Jason Kidd plans to use them together. The Mavericks could be a hybrid of isolation hero ball with Doncic & Irving taking turns or with one of them leading the offense and penetrating to collapse the defense and get the ball out to an open shooter. Mavericks fans should have plenty to be excited about in the short term.
Other Roster Moves After Trade Deadline
Critics of this trade are saying that this was an admission by the Mavericks that their offseason moves were insufficient. Mark Cuban certainly made up for that by acquiring Irving. The trade deadline has passed, but rumors were flying that they were in discussions until the last minute to bring more to the roster.
One of the Mavericks’ deficiencies heading into the postseason is in the frontcourt. Center Davis Bertans has been out with a calf injury much of the season, and free agent Christian Wood hasn’t been the inside presence they hoped.
The Mavericks will look to the buyout market at names like Nerlens Noel and Serge Ibaka to bolster their frontcourt for the playoffs. With a starting backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks’ ceiling is high.
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