The decision to acquire Kyrie Irving at the NBA Trade Deadline can already be viewed as a failure for the Dallas Mavericks.
After making a somewhat unlikely run to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Dallas Mavericks looked like a team that was on the rise. Losing Jalen Brunson during the offseason seemed to stunt their momentum, but the hope was that adding Christian Wood would help and then at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Mavs finally landed their much-needed second star next to Luka Doncic.
However, the Mavs haven’t taken off as many expected they would after the trade deadline move for Kyrie Irving. In fact, you can make a strong argument that they’ve actually taken a few steps back.
Since making the acquisition of Kyrie at the deadline, the Mavs are one of the worst teams in the league with a 6-12 record. They have the fifth-worst defense and despite an electric one-two punch on offense, this is a team that has left much to be desired after making such a dynamic move at the trade deadline.
Specifically, when Kyrie and Luka are on the floor together, the Mavs have a sad 3-7 record. In theory, the duo of Kyrie and Luka was supposed to be one of the league’s most dangerous combinations. It’s been anything but that since the acquisition.
The Mavs are 3-7 with both Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving in uniform after tonight's loss (at home & w/ a rest advantage) to the ... [checks notes] .. Hornets.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) March 25, 2023
All 7 losses have been within 5 points in the last 5 minutes (though this one only got to within 5 in the final minute).
Why the Dallas Mavericks are in an impossible situation with Kyrie Irving
And considering all the circumstances that surround Kyrie and the Mavs at the moment, I don’t believe that it’s too early to say that this experiment has been a disappointment. And perhaps a colossal one.
When the Mavs traded for Kyrie, they were going all-in for something that wasn’t a guarantee. But at the same time, they kind of needed it to be. They needed it to work. Failure was not an option for the Mavs. And with less than half a season to figure out if it would, there was little-to-no room for error.
However, with less than two weeks before the end of the regular season, the Mavs don’t have much to show for the acquisition. They have free fallen down the West standings and with just a few games in the regular season, it’s no guarantee that they’ll even qualify for the Play-In Tournament.
So there’s a chance that the move for Kyrie could be remembered as something that backfired significantly on the team. On February 5, when the Mavs traded for Kyrie, the team was tied for 4th (in the loss column) in the West standings. Right now, they are outside the playoff picture in the West.
It’s actually pretty insane to think about where the Mavs were roughly a year ago compared to where they find themselves now.
The worst part of this is that the Mavs now have a big decision to make regarding Kyrie’s future without many positives to base it on.
The Mavs finally landed their second star but it’s looking more and more like a colossal mistake. The question is, what will the Mavs decide to do about Kyrie during the offseason? At least for now, it doesn’t seem like there are any easy answers. Just a lot of questions.