NBA Analyst Says Kyrie Irving Trade 'Haunting' Luka Doncic's Mavs

The Mavs enter a pivotal offseason building around Luka Doncic, beginning with Kyrie Irving being set to reach free agency.

DALLAS — When an NBA team makes a big trade, there tends to be a significant amount of optimism about what could immediately transpire. It often takes time for continuity to be established before a team can make a successful title run, but the expectations tend to be lofty regardless. 

There were two teams that made massive midseason trade splashes this season. First, the Dallas Mavericks took advantage of Kyrie Irving seeking a fresh start after contract talks with the Brooklyn Nets fractured. Kevin Durant no longer wanted to remain — creating a trade opportunity for the Phoenix Suns to acquire him. 

Neither the Mavs nor Suns proved to have nearly enough remaining after their respective trade to win a championship right away. Dallas failed to even qualify for the play-in tournament. Phoenix was eliminated by Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. 

There is an important distinction when analyzing those two major midseason trades. Irving just played out the final year of his contract and could depart in free agency, while Durant is signed for years to come. 

When identifying recent NBA trades that that are "haunting" teams this offseason, Bleacher Report included the Mavs' move to acquire Irving. The rationale begins with the potential worst-case scenario if Irving was to depart in free agency. 

"Zooming all the way out, the Mavericks should regret trading for Irving because of the worst-case fallout if this whole experiment fails. Bereft of picks and appealing trade pieces, Dallas could bring back Irving and still fall short of contending," B/R's Grant Hughes wrote.

Hughes is not optimistic about the Mavs' outlook even if they managed to re-sign Irving. He envisions a failed campaign in 2023-24 that resembles much of what the team ended up experiencing this season, then going as far to say that it would justify Luka Doncic to demand a trade. 

"The Irving deal doesn't have the potential to make Dallas a contender, even if everything breaks right," Hughes wrote. "And all the downsides—losing Irving in free agency, paying handsomely for Irving to miss loads of games, ultimately losing Dončić altogether—are very real.."

To put the inclusion of the Mavs' trade for Irving into context, other trades such as the haul the Minnesota Timberwolves sent the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert was included, along with the Chicago Bulls' deal to acquire Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic.

The Mavs' failure to even qualify for the play-in tournament is concerning. However, it's still early to contextualize the trade for Irving in such a tone yet. If he departs in free agency, then the move proved to be a disaster. The possibility still remains that Dallas retains Irving and upgrades the supporting cast around him and Doncic.

Before even getting to that point, the outcome for Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery will be a driving force in what the Mavs can do with roster re-tooling. With a top 10 protected pick, there is a 20.2 percent that Dallas loses the pick to the New York Knicks. However, what if the team gets lucky and selects in the top four? 

Again, the possible downside of trading for an impending free agent is clear, but the Mavs have plenty that must be played out before making such a declaration. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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