Nets agree to trade Irving to Mavericks
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 often-enigmatic eighttime All-Star point guard — heads to Dallas, ending the pairing with Kevin Durant that never really had a chance to click because Irving played only 143 games in three-plus seasons with the Nets.
The Nets get Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian FinneySmith and a package of draft picks, according to a person familiar with the terms of the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade 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 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, and by Sunday afternoon, his time in Brooklyn appeared to be at an end.
It was not immediately clear when Irving would make his debut with Dallas. The Mavericks play at Utah on Monday night. He might be able to join the team Wednesday against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
“My first reaction was it seemed like a really good move,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said Sunday before the Raptors faced Memphis. “[The Nets] got a lot of assets back for a guy who wasn’t going to be back, it seemed. I think that’s important to do. And I think for Dallas, they got a big-time star to go with the one they’ve got.”
Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds this season. Doncic averages 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists. They instantly become one of the NBA’s top duos and figure to make Dallas an even stronger contender.
Irving is scheduled to become a free agent after the season. The Lakers were believed to have been one of a few teams interested in Irving — a notion that could have reunited Irving with LeBron James, with whom he won a title with in Cleveland in 2016.
The trade does again pair Irving with Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, who was a Nike executive before taking over the Mavericks in 2021.