Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are now teammates, the only two All-Star starters that are on the same team. Dallas swung big to acquire Irving, trading away two of their better players in, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, to go along with a few picks. For the caliber of player, he is, that seems like a very small package to give up, but Kyrie Irving does not come free of baggage.
The last 3 franchises Kyrie Irving has been a part of, he has committed to helping them win it all and stay for long, but invariably ended up breaking his promises. He won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but since then, his career has been quite hard to predict. Irving is often mired in some off-court controversies, too, meaning that this Mavericks move has been quite the gamble on their part.
Luka Doncic might be the exact opposite, he rarely ever speaks, and even when he does, it’s only about basketball. Doncic has spoken in the past about how he only wants to win a championship as his goal. So it’s no surprise that executives think that moving for Kyrie might be a sign that Dallas isn’t able to keep Luka Doncic too happy at the moment.
Luka Doncic Might Already Be Unhappy With The Dallas Mavericks, Suggest NBA Executives
A huge part of any discussion about this trade is the reality that Kyrie Irving is the most talented teammate Luka Doncic has had yet by far. The mercurial point guard, when locked in, is one of the best offensive forces in the league. But thanks to his baggage, John Hollinger of The Athletic reported that NBA executives think it could create a situation where Dallas loses Luka.
Even before this trade happened, execs I talked to on my road trip this past week, who were given anonymity so they could speak freely, were openly wondering if adding Irving could create a last-straw type situation that ends up pushing Doncic to seek the exits … much as happened with James Harden in Brooklyn.
“We don’t have any information that Doncic is unhappy, but we know Dallas is desperate. We know that because the Mavs just told us. Nothing says, ‘Everything is fine here,’ like trading for the league’s most radioactive player, an accomplished amity arsonist now presented with fresh tinder. A logical follow-up question would be to wonder why the Mavs are so desperate right now.”
What we do know is that Luka Doncic signed off on the trade that allowed Kyrie Irving to become a Maverick, so he clearly sees the value in having him on board. The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of uncertainty regarding their future, though, and have to ensure that they make a deep playoff run this season now that they have one of the NBA’s elite duos.
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