Alright so today I wanted to dig into that huge Kyrie Irving trade, you know the one where he landed on the Mavericks last season? Everybody was arguing who won that deal right after it happened. Felt like I needed to break it down myself, step by step, just to see what really went down. No fancy analyst jargon, just my own look at it.
How I Started Digging
First thing I did was just pull up the basic facts of the trade. What actually got swapped? Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris headed to the Dallas Mavericks. And heading back to the Brooklyn Nets? Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick in 2029, plus two second-round picks (one in 2027 and one in 2029). Simple enough on paper. Wrote that down clear.
Then, I jumped right into how both teams were doing before the trade. For Brooklyn, it was chaos city. Kyrie wanted out, Kevin Durant was already gone, team was kind of just… there. Dallas? Man, they were struggling. Luka looked amazing but the team around him felt weak, especially the defense. They were stuck around .500 and honestly seemed like they might not even make the playoffs. Remembered feeling kinda worried for them back then.
Figuring Out What Each Side Wanted
Tried to get inside the GMs’ heads a bit. Why would the Mavs gamble on Kyrie? Seemed obvious:
- Luka needed another superstar beside him. Someone who could actually create shots and take pressure off.
- They desperately needed scoring punch and someone to run the offense when Luka sat.
- Big name! Hoping to excite fans and shake things up. Maybe lure another big player later?
For Brooklyn? Getting rid of Kyrie felt like the main goal. But beyond just unloading the headache:
- Snagging Dinwiddie was getting a decent starting guard back.
- Finney-Smith? Solid, tough defender every team wants.
- Picks! That first-rounder way down the line was a big potential win.
- Starting fresh without the Kyrie drama.
Watching the Mess Unfold
Here’s where the rubber met the road. Just watched the games unfold after the trade. For Dallas:
- Kyrie played alright when he actually played… which wasn’t nearly enough. Injuries happened.
- The defense? Oh man, it got way worse. Trading DFS killed their perimeter defense.
- That whole “Kyrie and Luka duo” thing? Barely saw them on the court together long enough to see if it could really work.
- The team totally imploded. Missed the playoffs completely. Remember feeling shocked they tanked that badly.
Brooklyn? Let’s see:
- Dinwiddie was… okay. Kinda inefficient sometimes.
- Finney-Smith played hard like he always does.
- Team actually looked more functional without the constant circus. Made the playoffs as the lower seed.
- But were they suddenly contenders? Nope. Just kinda… stable.
What Happened Later?
Didn’t stop looking just at the season. Checked in later. Kyrie did re-sign with Dallas in the offseason, but the whole plan of pairing him with Luka is still a huge question mark. That future first-rounder Brooklyn got? Could be juicy in 2029, but who knows what the league will look like then? Feels like a mystery box.
So, Who Actually Won?
Sitting back and looking at it all:
- Dallas: Paid a huge price (their only real wing defender plus picks) for Kyrie. Didn’t make the playoffs. Still have big questions about the fit. Feels like they lost for sure short-term. Long-term? Still risky as heck.
Brooklyn: Ditched Kyrie’s drama, got back functional players and a distant future pick. Stability was a win. They got something out of a bad situation. Kinda came out better for now.
My final gut feeling? When both teams involved in a trade end up feeling worse off than they hoped… nobody really won that big. Dallas lost big last season. Brooklyn survived, maybe even squeaked out a small win considering the dumpster fire they escaped. But honestly? Watching both teams kind of flounder afterwards felt kinda sad. More like a lose-lose trade in practice.
