Why Mavs Should Roll Dice on Kyrie Irving Trade with Nets
Although the momentum of potential Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades has slowed significantly over the last month, that can always change in the blink of an eye.
With the Durant situation, many believe he could start the season with Brooklyn despite his request for a trade. Although Durant is still one of the best players on the planet at 34 years old, his age makes it hard for the Nets to get what they want from other teams.
However, Brooklyn has a much easier path to trading Irving, who is entering the final year of his contract … and the Dallas Mavericks should roll the dice on a deal for him.
Despite the baggage Irving would bring with him, he's still a super-talented basketball player with championship experience – he won a title with LeBron James, and Mavs star Luka Doncic plays a very similar style of basketball to James, so who's to say it couldn't potentially work in Dallas?
Irving averaged 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals for the Nets last season while shooting 46.9 percent from the field, including 41.8 percent from deep ... albeit, that only came in 29 regular-season games due to Irving not being to play in most Brooklyn home games due to not being vaccinated for COVID-19.
Taking a chance on Irving is exactly the kind of move a team like the Mavs should make given their current situation, which includes a need for secondary playmaking and scoring after losing Jalen Brunson, and a lack of draft capital for big trades going forward (at least until summer of 2023).
Some key reasons an Irving trade wouldn’t be such a bad idea for Dallas include:
1) Irving reportedly had the Mavs on his shortlist of teams he wanted to be traded to before he opted into the final year of his contract. So he obviously has some level interest in playing with Doncic and for coach Jason Kidd.
2) GM Nico Harrison, who was previously the Vice President at Nike, could potentially help save Irving’s shoe deal if all goes well in Dallas. A good word from Harrison would go a long way.
3) Entering a contract year, Irving has a lot to prove if he wants to make big money on a new contract next summer. Although the last handful of years have been turbulent, Irving could be primed to have the best season he’s had in a while.
No team has ever won a championship without taking some risks along the way, and Irving is a risk worth taking for Dallas. If all goes well, the Mavs could vault themselves into true title contention a year after making the Western Conference Finals.
The biggest question is: Do they have the guts to do it?
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter.
