The Dallas Mavericks have acquired eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving along with forward/center Markieff Morris in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two future second-round picks.
“We’re excited to add Spencer and Dorian to our roster, while also securing draft compensation that will increase our flexibility moving forward,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “Spencer is a dynamic, multi-talented guard who we are very familiar with from his previous stint in Brooklyn. Dorian is an experienced wing who brings perimeter shooting and defensive versatility to our group. Together, the two players will fit seamlessly with our roster and provide the team with proven veteran talent.”
Irving (6-2, 191) holds career averages of 23.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 34.2 minutes in 651 games (all starts) with Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn. He has shot 47.1% (5,582-11,853 FG) from the floor, 39.1% (1,501-3,835 3FG) from 3-point range and 88.2% (2,508-of-2,842) from the foul line for his career. Irving has appeared in 40 games (all starts) for the Nets this season and is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 36.9 minutes.
Irving is one of seven players averaging 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 2022-23. Among 40 players using two-or-more iso possessions/game, Irving’s 1.28 points/possession lead the NBA and are the highest for any player (min. 2.0 iso possessions/game) since the statistic was first tracked in 2015-16.
Upon the conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season, Irving became the ninth player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club after shooting 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from 3-point range and 92.2% from the free throw line. Irving became only the fourth player to average over 25.0 points while making the 50-40-90 club, joining Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Larry Bird.
The 30-year-old is an eight-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and helped Cleveland to their lone NBA Championship in 2016. Selected as a starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Irving has been an All-Star starter in each of the last five All-Star games in which he has played (2017-19, 2021 and 2023) and was named the All-Star Game MVP in 2014.
Irving was selected by Cleveland with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after a season at Duke University, where he averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in 11 games. As a high school senior at St. Patrick High School (NJ) in 2010, Irving was named a McDonald’s All-American, was selected to the First Team All-America by Parade Magazine and USA Today, and was named a finalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, while his father was playing professional basketball for the Bulleen Boomers, Irving moved to the United States when he was two years old. He elected to represent the United States national team and helped the Americans win a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. With the win, Irving became just the fourth member of Team USA to capture the NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year, joining LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.
Irving’s community work includes his KAI Family Enterprise, which seeks to uplift underrepresented entrepreneurs and businesses that do not have access to proper guidance in the business world. Amongst his philanthropic endeavors, Irving has donated $1.5 million to help cover the salaries of WNBA players who opted out of the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic, paid off the tuition for nine students at HBCU Lincoln University, gave $323,000 to Feeding America during the COVID-19 pandemic, and partnered with City Harvest to donate 250,000 meals across the New York area.
Irving will wear No. 2 for the Mavericks.
Morris (6-9, 250) holds career averages of 10.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 24.3 minutes over 742 games (377 starts) with Phoenix, Washington, Oklahoma City, Detroit, the L.A. Lakers, Miami and Brooklyn. He has shot 44.6% (3,051-6,844 FG) from the field, 34.2% (627-1,831 3FG) from beyond the arc and 77.8% (1,189-1,528 FT) from the free throw line in his career. Morris appeared in 27 games for the Nets in 2022-23 and averaged 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.6 minutes.
Selected 13th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Suns, the University of Kansas product won an NBA Championship in 2020 with the Lakers. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 18.4 minutes per game in 21 games (2 starts) during the Lakers’ postseason run.
In the community, Markieff and his twin brother, Marcus, started the Family Over Everything Foundation to provide support and guidance that helps alleviate the burdens, financial and otherwise, faced by many single parents, families in underserved communities, and at-risk members of society.
Morris will wear No. 13 for the Mavericks.
Dinwiddie (6-5, 215) was acquired by Dallas along with Dāvis Bertāns from the Washington Wizards on Feb. 10, 2022, in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis and a protected second-round pick. Over his two partial seasons with the Mavericks, Dinwiddie averaged 17.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 32.3 minutes per game over 76 games (60 starts).
Finney-Smith (6-7, 220) went undrafted in 2016 but signed with Dallas as a free agent on July 8, 2016. He was re-signed in July 2019, and then signed a contract extension with the Mavericks on Feb. 12, 2022. During his seven seasons with Dallas, Finney-Smith averaged 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 27.8 minutes over 434 games (322 starts).
