2023 NBA trade grades: How did Mavericks, Nets do in Kyrie Irving deal?

NBA trade season is here! The deadline is Feb. 9, and we’re finally beginning to see teams discuss and pull off deals. 

On Sunday, the Mavericks and Nets reportedly connected on a deal centered around star guard Kyrie Irving.

Here are our grades for completed deals:

Feb. 5: Mavs acquire Kyrie in blockbuster deal

Mavericks get: Kyrie Irving, Markieff MorrisNets get: Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, 2027 second-round pick, 2029 first-round pick, 2029 second-round pick

Grade for Mavericks: B-

You can understand the reasoning behind this move on the surface. The Mavericks have a superstar in Luka Dončić and desperately needed to find him a co-star. Otherwise, they appeared doomed to be one of those teams that hovers around .500 and, maybe, if everything breaks right, is able to win a couple of playoff series like they did last season. But is Kyrie really the guy you want to bet on? Not only is he unreliable as, well, a professional, but are we sure he fits next to Luka? How’s he going to feel watching Dončić dance with the ball for 12 seconds? And what about on the defensive end, where the Mavericks will be even weaker now without Finney-Smith? That said, there’s logic here. Irving gives the Mavericks an upside they didn’t possess before. And if things don’t work out and Irving walks in the offseason, they’ll now have close to max cap-space to play with.

Also, there’s the whole, “Kyrie seems to blow up every situation he enters” thing, which is probably not what you want if you have a generational talent like Luka.

Grade for Nets: A-

It’d be harder to do better given the situation. Sure, the Nets could have ignored Irving’s request and held onto him, but doing so could have nuked their entire season. Also, given Kyrie’s history, are we sure he would have suited up if no deal had been made? Instead, the Nets let some of the league’s most desperate teams fight over themselves — the Lakers, the Clippers, the Mavericks — and in doing so, received a nice return. Dinwiddie isn’t close to as dynamic as Irving, but he can replace some of his shot creation. Finney-Smith is a solid wing defender and career 36% 3-point shooter. And they also got a nice selection of picks which they can package for another win-now player before the deadline.

It’d probably be best to give them an incomplete until we see what they do next, but all things considered, the Nets did a good job recouping some value.  

— Yaron Weitzman

Jan. 23: Lakers beef up frontcourt, reportedly make deal with Wizards

Lakers get: Rui Hachimura Wizards get: Kendrick Nunn, 2023 second-round pick via Bulls, 2028 second-round pick, Lakers’ second-round pick in 2029

Grade for Lakers: B

This is an upgrade for the Lakers. Hachimura, the No. 9 pick in the 2019 draft, is averaging 13 points a game on 48.8 percent shooting, so he could help spread the floor and potentially give the Lakers another much-needed offensive weapon. But the Lakers really need a 3-and-D specialist and Hachimura is shooting 33.7 percent from beyond the arc this season, a significant dropoff from the impressive 44.7 percent he shot last season. Also, he’s not considered to be a standout defender, which is another area the Lakers need to address, considering they’re 20th in the league in defensive rating (113.8).

That being said, the Lakers gave up very little in this deal, considering Nunn has been ineffective, averaging career-lows this season in points (6.7), field-goal percentage (40.6) and minutes (13.5). And perhaps most importantly, after standing pat at the trade deadline last season, the Lakers are signaling to their stars that they’re going to try to make some changes. Hachimura is only 24 and has a lot of upside. He’s a strong catch-and-shoot player who has proven he can make a 3 – and he has the athleticism to be developed into a strong defender.

Grade for Wizards: C

As for the Wizards, it’s clear that their priority is trying to re-sign Kyle Kuzma to a long-term deal. And after not being able to agree to a rookie extension with Hachimura, it became increasingly likely that things weren’t going to work out. The Wizards didn’t get much in return for Hachimura – they likely could’ve done better than Nunn and three future second-round picks in exchange for a recent top-10 pick. That being said, Nunn was playing much better basketball before a knee injury sidelined him all of last season, so maybe a franchise change will serve him well. Also, there’s still a lot of time left before the trade deadline so perhaps the Wizards have Nunn and the picks in mind for another deal.

– Melissa Rohlin

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