Brooklyn blows it up: Why Nets traded away their superstars
Examining the Kyrie Irving trade
It didn’t take long for the Nets to move Irving after he requested a trade. Earlier this week, the All-Star point guard was dealt to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, two second-round picks in 2027 and 2029, and an unprotected first-round pick in 2029. Dallas also received veteran forward Markieff Morris in the deal.
For the Mavs, they finally went out and got another star to pair alongside Luka Doncic. While questions have come about regarding what this ultimately means for Doncic’s future with Dallas in the long term, it makes the Mavericks immediate contenders in the West. At 30-26 and fourth in the standings currently, Dallas figures to move up throughout the remainder of the season. Although Doncic was sidelined, Irving looked good in his first game in Dallas, putting up 24 points in a win over the Clippers.
Kyrie in his Mavs debut:
24 PTS (team-high)
4 REB
5 AST
4 3PM
W pic.twitter.com/Woshjcob9U— NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2023
Mark Cuban and the Mavs are going for it in what looks to be an open Western Conference this year, and rightfully so.
However, it feels like the Nets ultimately won this deal. The 29-year-old Dinwiddie returns to Brooklyn after a five–year stint with the Nets from 2016-21. Neither he nor forward Finney-Smith move the needle much, but they are solid role players who can at the very least help keep Brooklyn afloat the remainder of the season.
The move also frees up more minutes for some of the Nets’ younger players, most notably guard Cam Thomas, who has scored 40 points or more in each of Brooklyn’s last three games. He is the youngest player to have three consecutive 40-point outings in league history.
3 straight 40+ point games for Cam Thomas. The youngest to do it in NBA history 🔥
43 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
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📲 https://t.co/WFdLNEjikq pic.twitter.com/8PzRKmWvTp— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2023
Brooklyn also gets back a nice haul of picks. Second-round selections don’t always mean much in the NBA, but they are good trade assets to have. The headline is obviously the unprotected first-round pick, and although it doesn’t come until 2029, it also can be used as trade bait, or to potentially bring a new star to Brooklyn down the road.
Ultimately, the Nets may have won this trade by simply moving on from Irving. There is no denying how good of a player he is, but since he has been in Brooklyn, he has caused drama. Also of note is that he is slowly getting up there in age at 31 years old. The writing was on the wall when owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks weren’t willing to commit to the guard this offseason. The Durant/Irving pairing didn’t work, and it was time to start fresh.
