On February 6, the Dallas Mavericks finished fifth in the Western Conference and went all-in this season, trading for Kyrie Irving.
Two months later, they were eliminated from the NBA playoffs.
The Mavericks saw their last chance at the playoffs on Friday with a 115-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls, guaranteeing them a 11th-place finish this season and elimination from the play-in tournament. The loss capped a 6-17 drop since Feb. 11.
By the time Friday came, the team was so dejected that Irving and main players Maxi Kleber, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green and Christian Wood were sitting. Luka Dončić played, but possibly only because he promised.
Even with half the team’s usual rotation, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn’t look very happy after McKinley Wright IV missed a crucial shot at the end.
On the bright side for Dallas — and the likely reason it dumped so many players — is that the loss put them in sole possession of the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA draft, which given the first-round pick they beat the New York Knicks to thank is significant as part of another deal that went awry, the deal with Kristaps Porzingis.
Another loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday or an Oklahoma City Thunder win would secure that pick for the Mavericks, giving them a 3% chance in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes and a 13.9% chance under the first four to come .
When did things go wrong for the Dallas Mavericks?
Even the Mavericks’ biggest critics didn’t foresee a complete collapse after the Kyrie Irving trade. Eventually, they traded for Kyrie Irving, one of the best ball handlers in NBA history and a player whose main problems were off the court. It was her latest attempt at finding a long-term co-star for Dončić after Porzingis proved too fragile and Jalen Brunson too expensive.
After the base numbers, Irving kept his end of the bargain. He averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field and 39.2% from 3-point range in a Mavericks uniform. When he was on the ground, Dallas had an offensive rating of 121.4, which would be higher than any player in the NBA who isn’t named Nikola Jokic or has a teammate named Nikola Jokic.
The story goes on
Where the trade didn’t help the Mavericks, and actually actively harmed them, was on defense. Dallas took on Irving, a player never known for his defense, sending away Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith in the process. The latter player was a key part of the Mavericks’ defense and a competent wing that already didn’t have many competent wings.
The Dallas Mavericks paired Luka Dončić with Kyrie Irving. It did not work. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Since Irving’s first game in Dallas, the Mavericks have had a 118.3 defensive rating, the fifth-worst in the NBA. At their best, the Mavericks were one of the best offenses in NBA history, but the addition of Irving and the removal of Finney-Smith put pressure on a defense already sparsely saturated with older players.
Irving and Dončić may also have had a version of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Russell Westbrook problem, where a ball-dominant player simply wasn’t valuable enough to justify the resources put into pairing with an established superstar, while Irving was far more efficient as Westbrook.
It’s only going to get worse for the Mavericks
So Year 1 of Dončić and Irving didn’t work out. What about year 2?
Well, funny story about that. Irving, the player for whom the Mavericks gave up two rotation players, an unprotected first-round player and two second-round players, is a pending free agent. He could re-sign with Dallas and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has made it clear the team is interested in re-signing him, but long-term hopes never thrived with Irving as a building block.
Wood and Dwight Powell are also upcoming free agents.
Even after the collapse of the Mavericks and with all his warts, Irving will probably be in hot demand in freehand. He may not get the terms he wants from the teams he wants, but there will be other bidders and speculation is already rife that he could slip into the Westbrook-vacated Lakers point guard slot and reunite with LeBron James.
That would leave the Mavericks picking up the pieces again, with some considerable wiggle room and hoping their top 10 picks turn into something good. It’s going to be basically the only good thing they’ve gotten this season.