NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Brooklyn Nets made their best move when they traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and two draft picks Sunday. Now that the deal is done, there are reports that the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns both made trade proposals as well and the Nets declined. That will turn out to be one of their best moves in years.
The Lakers supposedly offered Russell Westbrook and draft picks while the Suns offered Chris Paul, Jae Crowder, and picks. The Brooklyn Nets emerge as winners due to the fact that trading for Westbrook and Paul would not have made them much better than what they have now. While the names of Westbrook and Paul are big, their play this season has not matched their names.
The Nets, even without Irving will still be competitive in the Eastern Conference. No one is saying they are Championship-bound, but a closer look will reveal that they finally made a smart decision even if it turns out to be a bit on the personal side.
There are rumblings that Irving wanted to go to the Lakers to pair up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. We all know the history between James and Irving. However, early reports are that Nets owner, Joe Tsai did not want to give Irving what he wanted. Instead, he sent him to Dallas where he will form what will easily become the best backcourt in the NBA alongside Luka Doncic. Irving still comes out as a winner here.
Why would the Brooklyn Nets take on Westbrook? His contract is huge but he’s also a free agent at the end of the season and what happens then? As far as the draft picks, the Nets received the same in the deal with the Mavericks but how does any of that really help the Nets now? And truth be told, how will the past relationship between Kevin Durant and Westbrook play out on the court and in the locker room? I know people wanted Irving gone but at what cost? The Nets did the right move there.
Brooklyn Nets Won This Trade
As far as the Suns’ offer goes, it’s the same. Paul is due to make another $30M after this season and at the age of 38, how much does he have left in the tank? Paul has played more than 70 games just 8 times in his 18-year career, and his injuries always come at the worst time for his teams. Is this what the Nets really want to tie Durant’s prime years to? Adding Crowder would be a flex but no one has seen him play since last season and he’s another free agent to be next season.
Sources: Brooklyn Nets received Los Angeles Lakers’ proposal that did include team’s two first-round picks (2027, 2029) and Phoenix Suns’ offer of Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and unspecified picks: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/cJuABbaYGy
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 6, 2023
The blogs and Twitter guys are having a field day with this trade on how the Brooklyn Nets made a mistake not trading Irving to the Lakers or Suns. The Brooklyn Nets did what was best for them and adding Spencer Dinwiddie who has another year on his contract and already has a history with the Nets, was a very smart move. The same for 3-and-D player Finney-Smith who is signed under contract until 2025 when he has a Player Option. The Nets have a foundation to go with Durant and adding a high-priced Paul and free agents to be in Westbrook and Crowder, would have been roster suicide.
Most fans think with emotion and refuse to look at the business side of it all. Yes, seeing those names in Purple and Gold would have been fun for Lakers’ fans but it’s not the Nets’ job to build them up while their team suffers. That’s bad business all the way around. We can all sit here and say that Tsai was petty and maybe he was but in the end, his team came out much better due to his pettiness. Lakers’ fans are mad but they dug themselves into this hole. The same can be said for the Suns. They tied a lot to Paul and have nothing to show for it. Don’t blame the Brooklyn Nets for the failures of those GMs in Los Angeles and Phoenix.
