As of Monday afternoon the blockbuster Kyrie Irving-to-Dallas trade had not officially been consummated, but with Irving landing in Dallas in one of Mark Cuban’s planes, the Mavericks’ governor felt comfortable enough to share a few thoughts about the trade with The News.
First, Cuban addressed the difficulty of trading Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, in particular Finney-Smith, a Dallas franchise success story who arrived seven years ago as an undrafted free agent and became a vital core player.
Finney-Smith started all of his last 180 games with the Mavericks, as well as 248 of his last 251 appearances.
“Dorian is a first-class human in every way, on the court and off, as well as his family,” Cuban said. “He is the definition of solid. What he has contributed to the Mavs and to #MFFLs cannot be overstated.”
As for the Irving acquisition, Mavericks fans wonder first and foremost about his fit with franchise superstar Luka Doncic. Cuban notes that Doncic signed off on the trade, the most important green light in a transaction that makes Dallas the only franchise with two starters selected for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
“They are the two players in the NBA that are most able to get anywhere they want on the court,” Cuban said. “They can create their own shots and finish every which way.
“That should make us incredibly potent on the offensive end. And while it’s going to be tough to fill Dorian’s shoes defensively, we think Josh will be able to step in and take advantage of the increased minutes he will be getting.”
Josh of course is third-year forward Josh Green, whose evolution the past season-and-a-half didn’t make Finney-Smith expendable, but somewhat easier to make a trade of this magnitude.
