Kyrie Irving WATCH: Mark Cuban Private Plane Brings New Star to Dallas; Trade News, Luka Doncic Update, Finals Odds
With just three days remaining until NBA trade deadline, we already got our fair share of fireworks on Sunday as the Dallas Mavericks struck a deal with the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving.
And on Monday? "Air Kyrie'' arrived in Dallas, via owner Mark Cuban's private plane.
Irving is an All-NBA talent who is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals through 40 games. He's close to 50/40/90 efficiency as well, as he's shooting 48.6 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from deep and 88.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Simply put, Irving will be the most talented player Doncic has ever played alongside. Although the trade doesn't come without risks, as Irving has a history of off-the-court distractions and is also set to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, Mark Cuban and Nico Harrison were aggressive in trading for a co-star to complement Doncic in a season where the Western Conference is wide open.
On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, my co-host Drew Johnson and DallasBasketball.com colleague Matt Galatzan join me as we all give our initial reactions to the trade and how we believe Irving will fit with Doncic.
If the Mavs were able to make it to the Western Conference Finals with Doncic and Jalen Brunson leading the way, there's no reason to believe Doncic and Irving can't take Dallas to the next level of reaching the NBA Finals ... assuming Irving is healthy and focused in his new environment.
Indeed, though Doncic is on the injury list now, Dallas just made a huge NBA Finals jump in the eyes of oddsmakers ...
Although Dorian Finney-Smith was a big part of the Mavs' playoff run last season, Dallas didn't have the same production out of Josh Green that they're now getting this season. Not only that, but there's a good chance the Mavs aren't done making moves before the deadline, so Dallas' chances of contending for a title could increase even more in the coming days.
You can listen to the entire episode here:
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