By Looks like Kyrie Irving is heading to Texas.
ESPN and Bleacher Report were reporting Sunday that the Brooklyn Nets are trading Irving, 30, to the Dallas Mavericks, while the Nets will receive Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, as well as a first-round pick and multiple second-round picks, citing NBA league sources.
The Los Angeles Lakers were also discussing a deal with the Nets, ESPN reported, but the Nets opted for the Dallas deal that included getting a point guard and a wing, as well as the future draft picks.
Irving’s four-season, $36 million contract with the Nets has had its ups and downs, including the point guard missing dozens of games after refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Irving told the media that his decision not to get vaccinated cost him millions of dollars.
He ended up forfeiting more than $13 million of his Nets salary for refusing to get vaccinated in 2021, according to data from Spotrac.
Read more: Kyrie Irving says he lost $100 million because he decided not to get vaccinated
Irving was also suspended without pay for several games last fall after he promoted a movie that contained antisemitic themes on his Twitter feed, and then refused to issue an apology or “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs,” the Nets said at the time.
And Nike
NKE,
-1.12%
ended its endorsement deal with Irving over the antisemitic film dust up, stating, “Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete.”
Irving opted into the final season of his Nets deal in the summer, but reportedly requested a trade on Friday, before missing Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards over a calf injury.
The news led Kyrie Irving’s name to trend on Twitter on Sunday, along with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, as basketball fans shared memes and jokes about how they imagine Cuban managing his new, controversial star player.
ESPN noted that Irving has played less than 150 games over the past four seasons combined, but he is averaging just over 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game this season on excellent efficiency.
