First impressions of the Kyrie Irving trade

Kyrie Irving is officially a Dallas Mavericks player. After previously stating: “I’ll never leave my number seven”, meaning he wouldn't leave teammate Kevin Durant, he suddenly requested a trade last week. It was then announced on Sunday that he was traded to the Mavericks.

The trade package sent Dallas players Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith as well as three future draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets, in exchange for Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris. This trade is already being called a steal as Dallas is receiving a superstar point guard in exchange for a decent scorer and a good role player.

Dallas needed another gifted player to pair alongside their superstar Luka Doncic who has been running the offence on his own since he arrived in 2018. Irving can provide ball handling and efficient shooting which compliments Doncic perfectly and takes some workload off of him. It will also mean that defences don’t swarm Doncic all game, giving more opportunities for him to attack the basket.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic on the court together (Image: Getty Images)

The only downside of a Doncic and Irving backcourt is their defence. Both players are known for their below-average defensive capability and after losing a great defender in Finney-Smith, the Mavericks may look shaky on that side of the ball. Although the argument can be made that they will outscore every team anyway, the defence for sure will raise some eyebrows.

For the Nets, the outcome of this trade could be unpredictable. They get a well-needed defensive-minded player, and a good scorer who doesn’t need the ball as much. At the end of the day, they still lost Kyrie Irving, which is a major hit no matter how you look at it.

When Durant comes back from injury, fans will need to wait and see how he fairs on his own in Brooklyn. He has proven he can lead them on his own before, but can he lead them to the playoffs on his own? That question remains to be answered.