Just like the rest of the NBA world, Kyrie Irving was stunned to hear that the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Few will be as directly impacted by the move as Irving, who now has to take on a much different role without his All-NBA backcourt mate.
Irving spoke publicly about the trade for the first time on Tuesday after putting up 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the Mavericks’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Just really shocked,” Irving said per ESPN. “You just don’t imagine that you’re gonna get ready to go to sleep and find out news like that. So still the grieving process right now. I miss my hermano. We had a lot of time together — [Markieff Morris] too, and Maxi [Kleber]. We just built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court. If anybody can understand at home, when someone or a few people leave in a trade it’s gonna be difficult, and that’s what we’re dealing with right now.”
Irving also made sure to acknowledge the reeling Dallas fanbase.
“This is a business. It’s way above my pay grade,” Irving said. “Kinda just gotta adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms and kinda be ready to go back to Dallas to speak in front of our fans. I know they’re feeling it, too. I’m feeling it too, guys. It’s just an adjustment period. I don’t wanna downplay this either or disrespect our new guys, they’re gonna help us win and help us build towards a championship. But just like everyone else at home, kinda see it from afar, it hurts.”
Davis did not play on Tuesday, as he’s still recovering from an abdominal strain that has kept him on the sidelines since Jan. 28. Irving and the Mavericks did, however, get to see Max Christie, who put up 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists off the bench in a strong debut.
Mavericks’ Anthony Davis says he was ‘in shock’ after Lakers traded him, had ‘no idea it was happening’
James Herbert
Without Davis, as well as Dereck Lively, Dwight Powell, PJ Washington and the newly acquired Caleb Martin, this was far from the team the Mavericks hope to have come playoff time. There were positive signs, though, that for all the questions that remain about this deal and how this trade went down, the Mavericks could still make some noise this spring.
“This is a weird case in NBA history to be a part of, but at the same time it’s the nature of our business, and it is a ruthless business. So you’ve got to be ready to pick up the pieces and run towards the championship,” Irving said. “That’s the ultimate goal and why I play and having other guys that are championship winners, too, helps. But at the same time, we still have to acknowledge our little Slovenian president is no longer here, and we’ve got to adjust.”
Of course, the Mavericks first have to ensure they actually get to the playoffs. After the loss to the Sixers, the Mavs fell out of the Play-In Tournament spots in the Western Conference and now sit in 11th place at 26-25. The good news is there’s plenty of time to fix that, and they’re only a tiebreaker away from being eighth and 2.5 games out of sixth and a guaranteed playoff berth.
