NBA Trade Grades: Mavericks land Kyrie Irving as Luka Doncic’s sidekick

The Brooklyn Nets found a taker for disgruntled guard Kyrie Irving in the Dallas Mavericks. So, who won the trade?

Let’s just say that Kyrie Irving’s tenure with the Brooklyn Nets has been far from uneventful. Irving missed numerous games throughout his time with the team due to injury and refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Then, there was the drama off the court, such as his sharing of an antisemitic film on his social media accounts and refusing to apologize multiple times, which earned him a suspension from the team. After all of that, the two sides agreed to a split due to Irving’s demands for a max, fully guaranteed contract, something the Nets did not want to do.

With the trade deadline on Feb. 9, NBA media and fans were curious if they would be able to find a taker for Irving, considering the drama and the fact that he wants a huge contract. Well, they found a taker in the Dallas Mavericks.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets are trading Irving and Markieff Morris to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and 2027 and 2029 second-round picks.

Let’s grade this deal.

Mavericks trade grade after acquiring Kyrie Irving

The Mavericks have a superstar in Luka Doncic, who they acquired in the 2018 NBA Draft in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks. He is one of the most prolific scorers in the entire league, but he’s in a tough Western Conference. He can’t do it all by himself.

Dallas did lose one of their best guards in Jalen Brunson this offseason after he was signed by the New York Knicks. Filling in Irving to replace Brunson is pretty good on paper. When he has played for the Nets this season, Irving has shown why he’s a superstar.

This year, Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from the three-point line.

Dallas is also receiving Markieff Morris as an option off the bench.

The Mavericks will only have him for the rest of this season before he becomes a free agent. Will the Mavericks give into his contract demands? That remains to be seen.

Having Doncic and Irving pair alongside each other could be huge for the team down the stretch for this season. Getting a star like Irving is huge, but with him, there is going to be some drama the team will have to deal with.

Mavericks trade grade: B+

Nets trade grade after dealing Kyrie Irving

The Nets do not have great luck with dream teams. When they signed Kevin Durant and Irving in the summer of 2019, the expectation was that the Nets would at least win their first NBA championship. They even brought in James Harden to help further help their chances. Yet, the furthest the Nets have ever gotten in the playoffs was the second round. Harden wanted out of Brooklyn last season, and was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, Irving asked out, and the Nets obliged. Yes, it had to do with the contract negotiations. But after all the team dealt with Irving, the contract was probably the last straw.

Given that Irving was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, the Nets getting anything back is a win. They get back Spencer Dinwiddie, who shined with the Nets early on in his career, and is under contract through next season. They also get Dorian Finney-Smith, who is under contract through the 2024-25 season with a player option for the 2025-26 campaign.

As for the draft picks, they are getting second-rounders in 2027 and 2029, and an unprotected first-rounder in 2029. That’s a long way down the road, but it’s better than nothing.

The Nets have dealt superstars in back-to-back trade deadlines. Will Kevin Durant be next? Will there be another move up their sleeves? Will they stand pat with the return they received for Irving? A lot of questions should be answered by Feb. 9.

Nets trade grade: B-