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Sixers Rival Nets Strike Deal to Move Kyrie Irving to Mavericks

The Brooklyn Nets are moving Kyrie Irving.
Justin Grasso|
Sixers Rival Nets Strike Deal to Move Kyrie Irving to Mavericks
Sixers Rival Nets Strike Deal to Move Kyrie Irving to Mavericks

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Philadelphia 76ersBrooklyn NetsDallas Mavericks

After days of speculation, the Brooklyn Nets finally found a conclusion in their latest saga surrounding the All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Although Irving accepted the player option attached to his contract over the summer, committing to the Nets for the 2022-2023 NBA season, he ended up requesting a trade ahead of next Thursday’s deadline.

Once Irving’s request became public, several Western Conference teams showed interest. The Los Angeles Lakers entered the Irving market, as expected. Shortly after, the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns did as well. 

While the Los Angeles Clippers were the newest team to enter the market on Saturday, talks already started heating up between the Mavericks and the Nets. By Sunday afternoon, the Nets and the Mavericks finalized a deal, which sent Irving to Dallas.

Details of the Deal

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets have a deal in place to send Irving and Markieff Morris to the Mavericks. In exchange, the Nets will receive Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, multiple second-round picks, and a reunion with their guard, Spencer Dinwiddie. 

Impact on the East

Irving’s All-Star-caliber season had the Nets looking like one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. Despite a slow start to the year, the Nets have emerged as one of the hottest teams while healthy over the last couple of months.

At this point in the season, the Nets are 32-20 while placed fourth in the Eastern Conference. While the Nets have a good chance of remaining in the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture as long as Kevin Durant gets healthier soon, the loss of Irving will certainly cause a notable impact moving forward.

And when the Philadelphia 76ers pay a visit to the Nets Saturday, Brooklyn will look a lot different without the All-Star guard on the floor. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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