Irving traded to Dallas for 2 players plus picks
Kyrie Irving is getting his wish. He’s getting traded.
And Luka Doncic is getting another All-Star to help him in Dallas.
The Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets agreed Sunday on a blockbuster trade: Irving — the super-talented and oftenenigmatic eight- time All- Star point guard — heads to Dallas, ending the pairing with Kevin Durant that never really had a chance to click.
The Nets get Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a package of draft picks, according to a person familiar with the terms of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because it had not been finalized.
Dallas also gets Markieff Morris.
The move comes just two days after Irving told the Nets that he wanted to be traded by Thursday’s league deadline, after talks about a contract beyond this season didn’t go to his liking.
He wasn’t with the Nets for their game Saturday.
It was not immediately clear when Irving would make his debut with Dallas.
Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds this season. Doncic is averaging 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
Irving is, for now, scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
Irving had a relationship with Nike for the entirety of his NBA career until earlier this season, when the sneaker giant dropped him — and canceled the planned release of his next signature shoe just before it dropped — as part of the massive fallout from Irving posting a link to an antisemitic film on his Twitter account.
That was one of many drama- filled sagas that marked Irving’s time with the Nets. He wouldn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and, because of New York City workplace rules, had to miss most of Brooklyn’s home games last season.
He also took two leaves of absence during the 202021 season.
The various issues limited Irving to 143 games in threeplus seasons with the Nets, and he and Durant were together for just 74 of them after their celebrated pairing in the summer of 2019.
Irving signed as a free agent while Durant joined the Nets on a sign-and-trade with Golden State.
Notes
Golden State All- Star guard Stephen Curry will be sidelined due to injuries to his left leg, the team said, and the Warriors aren’t sure how many weeks he’ll miss.
Curry was diagnosed after an MRI with partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligament and interosseous membrane in his left leg and also has a lower-leg contusion.
But Warriors coach Steve Kerr stressed Sunday that the news could have been far worse.
Curry left Saturday’s game against Dallas with 2:01 left in the third quarter, after his wrapped left leg — which he originally hurt Thursday in a matchup against Denver — appeared to buckle as he played defense.
Sunday’s games
Cavaliers 122, Pacers 103: Darius Garland scored 24 points, Isaac Okoro added 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers made 15 3-pointers in a rout of the host Indiana Pacers.
Myles Turner had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which has lost 12 of 14.
All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 15 points and 11 assists, while Buddy Hield had 16 points.
Chartiers Valley grad T.J. McConnell had six points, five rebounds and five assists for the Pacers. Magic 119, Hornets 113:
Paolo Banchero had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic took advantage of Charlotte’s poor foul shooting to beat the host Hornets. The Hornets made just one of nine free throws in the fourth quarter while Orlando was going 13 of 15. Charlotte finished 11 of 23 from the line in its fourth straight loss — Orlando wound up 27 of 30 on foul shots. Markelle Fultz had 16 points for the Magic. Raptors 106, Grizzlies 103: Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, including a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left, and the Toronto Raptors rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the host Memphis Grizzlies.
Jaren Jackson Jr. missed a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left that would have tied the game for the Grizzlies, who played without star Ja Morant because of right wrist soreness. Desmond Bane led Memphis with 26 points.
In addition to Morant, the Grizzlies were missing center Steven Adams (right knee) and forward Dillon Brooks, who served a league- assessed one-game suspension for his confrontation with Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell on Thursday.