The Brooklyn Nets didn’t waste time granting Kyrie Irving’s trade request. On Sunday it was announced that the Nets traded the guard just days after he formally requested a trade and sent Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, and multiple second-round picks. The trade was first broken by @ChrisBHaynes and the return in the deal per sources of Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski.
After offering Irving an extension with stipulations attached — rumors are they had to do with a championship — Irving reportedly stopped negotiating. He declined the offer and Irving let the Nets know that he would be leaving in free agency if not traded ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline. The team didn’t waste time finding a suitor. It was believed the Lakers got involved in trade talks but the Nets liked the Mavericks deal better. The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers were also rumored to be interested in the player, per league sources.
Dinwiddie returns to Brooklyn and gives the Nets a familiar face. He allows the team to stay competitive in the playoffs, especially considering how detrimental Irving would have been to a postseason run. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are all-in. They give up two starters and a 2029 first-round pick in an attempt to make a push and hope that Irving will re-sign in the summer and want to play alongside Luka Dončić.
Chris Haynes reports that Irving is said to be “ecstatic” about the trade and the prospect of playing with the Mavs and one of the best players in the world.
The Nets plan to offer the picks acquired in the trade — as well as the 2023 first-round pick via the Philadelphia 76ers — in trade talks to try and improve the roster ahead of the Thursday trade deadline, sources said.
