Mavs Trade of Christian Wood Next After Kyrie Irving Blockbuster?
The Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets shook the NBA landscape on Sunday afternoon, as the two teams agreed on a trade to send star point guard Kyrie Irving to Dallas. Although the Nets got offers from the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers, the Mavs' offer came out on top.
The final details of the deal? The Mavs got Irving and Markieff Morris. The Nets got Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.
Although this deal doesn't come without risks for Dallas, it was a move Mark Cuban and Nico Harrison had to make in order to pair a star-level player next to MVP candidate Luka Doncic – especially given the team's limited assets. On the court, Irving figures to be an automatic fit with Doncic and will take an enormous amount of pressure off his shoulders when it comes to running the offense.
In the aftermath of the trade, more details about the negotiations behind the scenes have emerged. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Mavs tried to send Christian Wood to the Nets instead of having to part with Finney-Smith, but it was a non-starter for Brooklyn.
The Nets’ refused Dallas' attempts to ship them Christian Wood's expiring contract or one of its less palatable long-term deals held by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dāvis Bertāns. Don’t be surprised, though, if Wood still gets dealt before Thursday’s 3 PM ET trade buzzer. As I first reported Saturday, Wood is attracting trade interest from the LA Clippers, who want to upgrade both their frontcourt and backcourt. Wood and Minnesota's D'Angelo Russell, sources say, are among the Clippers’ prime trade targets heading into the last few days of NBA trade season.
Given that the Mavs and Wood have yet to come to terms on a contract extension, it's not surprising that he is being dangled in potential trades. Keeping Wood past the trade deadline would risk losing him for nothing in free agency this summer – something that could become a worry with Irving as well, but the Mavs will cross that bridge when they get there.
With the Clippers motivated to add Wood, and the Mavs all of a sudden needing some wing depth with Finney-Smith going to Brooklyn, swapping Wood for Marcus Morris – twin brother of Markieff Morris, who the Mavs just acquired from Brooklyn – would make some sense on paper.
That said, the Mavs are surely in talks with a handful of teams with the trade deadline just four days away. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for the latest updates.
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