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Kyrie Irving’s trade request has reportedly been fulfilled.
The Brooklyn Nets are sending the polarizing point guard to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and multiple second-round picks, according to multiple reports.
Irving requested a trade following failed contract talks with the Nets, just days after he was named an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference. Irving said if he wasn’t traded, he would become a free agent and a report also stated he might sit the rest of the season.
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Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets during the Los Angeles Lakers game at Barclays Center on Jan. 30, 2023, in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Now, Irving will team up with another highly talented guard: Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic.
It was reported earlier Sunday that Irving was going to be sidelined until a trade was finalized by Brooklyn. He sat out Saturday night’s win over the Washington Wizards after the team said he was dealing with right calf soreness.
Nets fans were clearly frustrated that Irving called for a trade, as his image appeared on the Jumbotron at Barclays Center before the game and boos were heard from the crowd.
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Irving now heads to a Dallas team that sits sixth in the Western Conference standings at 28-26, lower than the Nets’ 32-20 record and current fourth seed in the East. But the pairing of Doncic and Irving will be a two-headed monster that could cause problems for the West in the coming weeks.
Doncic is just barely second in the league in points per game with 33.4 behind Joel Embiid’s 33.5 with the Philadelphia 76ers. But Doncic isn’t selfish with the ball as we’ve seen with his 8.2 assists per game, so Irving, who is averaging 27.1 points per contest to earn himself an All-Star Game starter nod, will be getting the ball.
The question now is whether the Mavs intend on giving Irving his contract extension, which he reportedly wants to be in the four-year range at $198.5 million, per ESPN. That was a key issue in the breakdown of talks with the Nets.
Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving speaks before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Oct. 19, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat were other destinations rumored to be in the running for Irving.
Brooklyn was riding high with Irving and Durant signing together to join them before the 2019-2020 season, believing it was the start of something that could lead to NBA titles. But injuries and controversy surrounded this marriage, especially when it came to Irving.
This season, he was suspended eight games for posting the link to a movie on Amazon that spread antisemitic disinformation. While he was unapologetic at first, he was later allowed back on the team after reportedly completing a checklist.
Then, there was his decision to forego the COVID-19 vaccination, which led to him playing only 29 games for the Nets last season as he couldn’t play at home due to New York City restrictions.
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Irving also missed significant time during the 2020-21 season due to the civil unrest in the country, though he was still named an All-Star that year.
In his four years in Brooklyn, Irving finishes with 27.1 points averaged per game, the most he has with any team thus far, with 3.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists over 143 regular-season contests.
Kevin Durant walks down the court between teammates Kyrie Irving, left, and Edmond Sumner in a game against the Washington Wizards. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
The furthest the Nets made it in the playoffs while Irving was in Brooklyn was the Eastern Conference seminfinals in 2021 against the Milwaukee Bucks. They ended up losing in seven games, though Irving didn’t play the final three due to injury.
Last season, the Nets lost in a clean sweep by the Boston Celtics.
Dallas traded away two starters in this deal in Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith. Dinwiddie is the more notable player here due to his previous experience in Brooklyn.
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Fans loved Dinwiddie’s progression into a true scoring threat, especially from 2018-2020. Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points per game, a career-high, in the 2019-2020 campaign, which was Irving and Kevin Durant’s first season in Brooklyn (Durant was out with an Achillies injury that entire year, though).
Dinwiddie eventually landed with the Washington Wizards in 2021-22 after playing only three games in 2020 due to an ACL injury. But his three-year deal lasted only 44 games with the Wizards, as he was traded to the Mavs that season.
This year, he’s averaging 17.7 points over 34.1 minutes per game.
Kyrie Irving of the Nets against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on Jan. 30, 2023, in Brooklyn. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Finney-Smith has tallied 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest in 40 games, starting all of them.
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