5 Winners and losers of the Kyrie Irving trade

After years of trade speculation, Irving has been dealt to the Dallas Mavericks two days after his trade request. In return, the Nets will receive Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and two second-rounders. The deal marks the end of an era for Brooklyn and potentially a new one for Dallas if Irving is there to stay. Let’s look at the winners and losers of this shocking trade.

Winner: Dallas Mavericks

Admittedly, Dallas gave up more than expected in this deal, trading two of their best players along with three draft picks. Yet, the Mavs landed an all-star starter and one of the NBA’s best players without giving up any young talent or multiple first-round picks.

With a limited asset pool, it would be impossible for Dallas to land a star without there being a caveat to it, which is the case in this deal. Irving is in the last year of his contract, and there has been no indication that he plans on returning to the Mavs. Still, with Luka Doncic performing at a historic level, it was clear a high-upside move was needed, and it doesn’t get more high-upside than this.

Doncic and Irving will become the highest-scoring duo in the league and arguably the best backcourt in the NBA. The Mavs’ defense will probably still struggle as is, but It doesn’t look like Dallas is done making moves, according to Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. With another upgrade or two, the Mavericks’ front office can give the team a chance at a title, and that’s all you can ask from them.

Loser: Kevin Durant

When KD and Irving signed with Brooklyn in the summer of 2019, it was supposed to solidify both players’ legacies as all-time greats and multiple-time champions. Instead, the decision has brought Durant more criticism than he has ever faced in his career. And now he’s left with the remnants of what was supposed to be a dynasty.

KD is now one of only three players on the Nets who were there the year he and Irving joined Brooklyn in 2019, alongside Nic Claxton and Joe Harris. While those players are solid in their respective roles, KD has lost his good friend and one of the only teammates with whom he’s built chemistry. Looking at the roster, he’s on an island of his own at this point.

Unless the Nets are able to pair KD with another star soon, which will likely have to be before the February 9th trade deadline, a trade request in the summer seems inevitable, for real this time. Contrary to what most people thought in the summer of 2016, signing with the Nets has easily been KD’s worst free-agent decision.

Winner: Brooklyn Nets

It’s hard to look at this trade and think the Nets won it. Brooklyn is trading Irving, an all-star starter and what will likely be the last straw in KD’s inevitable trade request, for a package that doesn’t include anything all that enticing. However, the reality is that the Nets lost on Friday when Irving requested a trade. This deal was simply the aftermath of that decision, and considering the circumstances, it wasn’t a bad return.

Dinwiddie will return to the Nets after leaving them in 2020, playing some of his best basketball throughout his last couple of years. He hasn’t quite been able to fill the void that Jalen Brunson left, but he’s averaging about 18 points and five assists while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three. Finney-Smith, on the other hand, has had an off-year, averaging only nine points per game on 41% shooting from the field, and 35% from three. Still, he remains an impactful defender on a relatively team-friendly deal at four years and $55 million, and should eventually get out of his slump offensively.

These players will help keep the Nets competitive regardless of whether KD is staying or not, and three picks will help them acquire more win-now help if it still hopes to compete in the East, or it can be used to add young talent if Brooklyn enters rebuilding mode. Either way, this is a good return for a player who clearly wasn’t planning on sticking around.

Loser: LeBron James

As the memes flood and the Lakers’ options grow even bleaker, LeBron James ponders ” Maybe It Me. ” No Bron, it’s the Nets’ owner not wanting to send Irving to his preferred destination.

Still, this news is unfortunate for James, something that can be said about almost every recent report in relation to Los Angeles.

According to Marc Stein, it seems that Rob Pelinka did offer LA’s 2027 and 29 first-round picks for Irving, but Nets owner Joe Tsai declined, knowing Irving wanted to play for the Lakers. Obviously, this is out of the LA’s control, but it certainly hurts.

Not only does the deal mean Los Angeles missed out on their top trade target, but their competition in the West will only get better. While the Mavs and Lakers are separated by seven seeds ranking fifth and 12th in the Western Conference, respectively, Dallas is only three games ahead of Los Angeles.

It’s funny how the actions of Irving ended up costing James what could be his last chance at a title, and yet he was the player who contributed the most besides James himself in winning James his third and undoubtedly his most memorable trophy in 2016. That’s the NBA for you.

Winner: Kyrie Irving

Irving is landing in Dallas, where he will play next to one of the NBA’s best players, who can only get better from here on out. He still has a ton of responsibility as the Mavs’ only elite offensive weapon outside of Doncic and has a chance to contend for a title on a team that you would assume is willing to offer him a long-term contract after trading significant assets to land him.

What some may be questioning, however, is why Irving requested a trade from the Nets in the first place, a franchise that offers each of the things mentioned above just as much if not more than Dallas.

Well, according to The Athletic, Irving was offered a four-year extension by Brooklyn, but it included guarantee stipulations that Irving was clearly unhappy about, as he obviously declined the offer and soon requested a trade.

Even if Joe Tsai refused to let Irving go to his preferred destination, probably because of all the turbulence Irving has caused the franchise in his four years as a Net, he got pretty lucky landing in a situation similar to the one he was already in. Additionally, Dallas will most likely be willing to offer him the contract he’s looking for considering what it gave up.