After watching Jalen Brunson leave to the Knicks, Luka Doncic knew he’d have to push for another All-Star teammate. Fortunately, the situation in Brooklyn made Kyrie Irving available and the Mavericks were able to put together a package to get him on the roster.
According to Tim MacMahon, however, Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd made a strong push for Irving once his trade request went public.
“[Luka] had grown frustrated the Mavs were floating around .500 despite him playing better than ever. Team and league sources said he privately had been pushing the front office to find a way to acquire the co-star required for the Mavs to have any chance to contend for a championship.”
It makes sense that Luka wanted more help. Before the Irving trade, the Mavericks didn’t have anyone besides Doncic himself who could be counted on to score 25-20 points a night.
Not only has Kyrie given them that, but he also gives them elite ball handling to pair with Doncic’s amazing playmaking skills.
Was The Kyrie Trade A Major Mistake For The Mavs?
Despite how impressive Ieving’s individual play has been, his fit in Dallas hasn’t been perfect. In the matches with Luka, we’ve already seen the Mavs struggle in late-game situations. Couple those concerns with problems on the defensive end, and it’s clear that the Mavericks are not ready to win a title this season.
The problem is, Kyrie is set to become a free agent this summer and there are signs he is considering signing with a different team next season.
“Enter the Lakers. James has made clear he wants to reunite with Irving. As partners in Cleveland, they won the 2016 NBA Finals, reached two others and were an otherwise dominant, unstoppable duo on offense,” reported Joe Vardon.
If the Mavericks don’t figure things out quickly, it could ultimately lead to an early playoff exit which will no doubt increase the chances that Kyrie bolts in free agency. And without Kyrie, where does that leave Luka and his NBA future?
Obviously, a lot is riding on these next few months for the Mavs and depending on how it all plays out, this could be their last opportunity to make a serious run. Let’s just hope that Luka and Kidd made the right call on pursuing Kyrie and we get to see this team with some more time to gel and grow.
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