An exchange that is a hymn to chaos theory.
– An NBA trade is rarely linear. The not simple NBA rules on the salary cap make everything very complicated: the do ut des it is the basis of everything, and it is often necessary to wait months or years to definitively judge a trade. And when a trade involves an All-Star, flat eartherno-vax, with a anti-Semitic tweet about the group and what’s more, in the current season, the matter simply explodes. The spectrum of opinions is complete: for some we are facing one lose-lose situation and for those who think that this move will lead Dallas to the title, there is a whole gray area of more or less optimistic forecasts on the other side of the fence. Kyrie Irving joins Luka Doncic at the Mavs: two of the most ball dominant stars in the League join forces for the climb to the not irresistible but very complicated West 2022-23;
– The Mavs’ decision to trade their top defenseman (Dorian Finney-Smith), second best player on the roster (Spencer Dinwiddle) and a future pick is clearly the result of a Western Conference without a master. At this moment between the 4th seed (the last one useful for the field advantage in the 1st round) and the 11th (the best of those who remain out even from the play-in) there are just 3.5 games apart: a trifle. With the exception of the Nuggets and the Grizzlies, no team is sure of being able to make the playoffs, let alone the position and therefore the possible path: they will need to be ready by April 20, aware that nothing is off limits for anyone. The window is open for everyone. Today. Not tomorrow. The Mavs have opted for a move that is unlikely to generate regrets in the very short term, and we imagine they have had reassurances from the player, whose contract will expire on June 30thon the possibility of renewal;
– Brooklyn definitively closes the era of Super Teaminaugurated in the summer of 2019 with the arrival of Durant and Irving, which was followed in 2020 by the arrival of James Harden: the 3 went one step (a thumb…) from winning the NBA title and if the experiment hasn’t been fully successful, the causes are more to be found outside than inside the pitch. Now Durant is the last survivor of that team, but no longer the victim of the inconstancy and personal inexplicability of Irving, whose summer farewell was, moreover, obvious. Brooklyn gets two well-known players to be able to fit well in any context;
– The Dallas side of the trades will be the most exposed to criticism/comments over time: many see this choice as one desperation movein an attempt to support Doncic with a new star without paying too much attention to the fit, all to be built. Cuban tossed a coin. Man has always paid little attention to the risks, always aiming for the big target: he has not denied himself. Should it not work at an acceptable level, the consequences could be dramatic in the long run, primarily for the eventual farewell of the Slovenian, at that point aware that he could not win in Dallas. Comparisons with the Cavs’ trades in the first Lebron era are not unfounded, at least as a starting scenario;
– But there is already one certainty: Los Angeles Lakers losers from this exchange. Kyrie was perhaps the only credible option to get him out of the anonymity of a season on the edge of the playoffs, which will be remembered only for James’ now imminent points record. More personal than team goal: Pelinka tried in every way, but simply had nothing enticing to offer in Brooklyn. It seems increasingly probable that he will forever be guilty of wasting the last, bright and inexplicable years of Lebron’s career.