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Kyrie Irving Had Simple Message for Teammates Before Anthony Davis's Mavericks Debut

Kyrie Irving is ready to move forward after the Luka Doncic trade.

Blake Silverman

Dallas Mavericks forward Davis and guard Irving embrace before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Dallas Mavericks forward Davis and guard Irving embrace before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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Kyrie Irving is ready to lead the Dallas Mavericks forward alongside his new pick-and-roll partner, Anthony Davis.

After the league-altering trade where the Mavs sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick, chaos ensued, culminating in protests from Mavericks fans outside the arena on Saturday. Inside of American Airlines Center, the Mavs are hosting their first game in Dallas since the big trade, marking Davis's Dallas debut.

Despite the chaos in Dallas on Saturday, Irving is ready to continue on. Cameras caught Irving's pregame message to the team as they got ready to run onto the court in Davis's debut game.

"Let's move forward and enjoy this ride. Together on three," Irving said as he broke down the Mavs' huddle.

Irving and Davis shared a brief moment together after their teammates headed to the court. They seemingly acknowledged the new era they were about to begin, hoping to win back Mavericks' fans hearts and bring a championship to Dallas.

While the Lakers wait to begin the Dončić-LeBron James era, Irving is ready to lead the Mavericks forward even though he still misses his hermano.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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