(Dallas) Luka Doncic has a new co-star with the Mavericks who, in a way, are starting a whole new season with the arrival of Kyrie Irving.
The resounding trade with Brooklyn was made official Monday, two days before Dallas visited the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Mavericks also got Markieff Morris for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks.
It’s unclear if Doncic will be available against the Clippers. He wasn’t with his family when he started a five-game road trip on Saturday, having suffered a bruised right heel in the previous game.
When the new all-star duo play together for the first time, West will have a new combination that promises to be brilliant.
Doncic is battling Sixers’ Joel Embiid for the scoring title this season.
PHOTO JEROME MIRON, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Luka Doncic
Among the seven players averaging 30 or more points per game, only the Slovenian also averages eight rebounds and eight assists per game.
Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds.
In the West, ranks 3-10 are only separated by three games, and three other clubs are not far behind.
Jalen Brunson played a big role with Dallas last year but wanting to be the center of attention, he joined the Knicks as a free agent.
Christian Wood was acquired in the offseason, but the Mavericks are a lousy 1-7 when Doncic isn’t in uniform.
Wood was back Monday in Salt Lake City, where Dallas prevailed 124-111. He had missed eight games with a broken left thumb.
In just over three seasons with the Nets, Irving has had little chance of creating any real sparks with Kevin Durant.
The trade came two days after Irving let the Nets know he wanted a change of scenery because talks about a new deal hadn’t gone the way he wanted.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison was an executive at Nike before being hired by Dallas.
Irving had a partnership with Nike until earlier this season. It ended after Irving tweeted a link to an anti-Semitic piece in late October.
Irving also made headlines for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a status that caused him to miss most of his New York games in 2021-22.
The previous season, he was absent from the Nets on two occasions.
The 30-year-old has also often questioned that the Earth is round, before apologizing to science teachers.
“Thank you Nets fans for the love on and off the field,” Irving tweeted Monday. I will always be grateful to have lived a young boy’s dream with you. Me and my family will always love you. »