The Dallas Mavericks are still grappling with the aftermath of trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, but this proposed trade would fix the bad blood between fans and GM Nico Harrison.
The Dallas Mavericks and their fanbase are still reeling after the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.
While there is no doubt that Dallas can play high-level basketball when Davis is healthy, losing a generational talent for a (admittedly) very good player past his prime was a head-scratching move at best.
However, there are plenty of indications that general manager Nico Harrison is not done making moves yet, and the Mavericks have been linked to Kevin Durant as a target this offseason. That said, one former player proposed a trade that would certainly return Harrison to good standing with the fanbase.
Kyrie Irving could finally play for the New York Knicks
When Kyrie Irving expressed his displeasure on three separate occasions–with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets–the New York Knicks were expected to get in on the action and land the All-Star guard.
However, the Knicks missed out, but they seem to have solved their point guard problem, upgrading over the years from Derrick Rose, Elfrid Payton, Immanuel Quickley, and Kemba Walker before finally landing Jalen Brunson, ironically from the Mavericks.
As the Knicks enjoy their best stretch of basketball since the Patrick Ewing days, it’s hard to imagine them shaking up their roster, although that hasn’t stopped one former player from dreaming big.
“On any given day, if you put Kyrie Irving in a New York Knicks uniform, do you know how lit the Garden’s gonna ___ing be?” asked Jeff Teague on his Club 520 podcast. “It’ll be the biggest ____ ever.”
This season, both Irving and Brunson were All-Stars. Brunson is younger and averages more points and assists, and is just as good of a shooter as Irving, although Teague thinks the Knicks would benefit from a swap.
“Like, right now, if you trade Jalen Brunson back to the Knicks for Kyrie Irving, nobody would be mad in New York,” Teague continued.
“Not one person would be like, ‘What are we doing?’ They’d be like, ‘Oh, we got Kyrie.’”
Dallas, not New York, would be the winner of that trade
While there’s no denying that Irving is a top-25 player in the NBA right now, there’s a very strong case to be made that Brunson is in the top ten. In addition to that, he is four years younger and is under contract for the next three seasons with a player option after that, whereas Irving can opt out after this season.
Over the summer, Brunson signed a smaller deal to give the Knicks enough flexibility to add Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges.
While the Mavericks might not know anything about loyalty to their superstars, Brunson has passed even Carmelo Anthony as the Knicks’ most beloved star and has cemented himself as an agreeable face of the franchise.
Irving’s track record is nearly the complete opposite of Brunson’s, and if the Mavericks somehow swindle the Knicks out of their franchise player, Harrison should be welcomed back into the good graces of fans in Dallas.
