(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a tanking job on Friday night.
They lost to the Chicago Bulls to secure a top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft after a 115-112 loss.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were expected to lead this team to compete for championships, but instead, they’re missing the play-in tournament.
Things haven’t been good for the Mavericks since trading for Irving, as they have posted a terrible record.
They are 9-17 since making the blockbuster trade that landed Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.
The Mavericks have gone 9-17 since Kyrie Irving made his debut on February 8th. Entering that game they were 29-26. pic.twitter.com/oQjAmQil9u
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 8, 2023
NBA fans had a lot of reactions to this stat, blasting the Mavericks for their decisions but others tried to put the blame on the players.
The blame is on Mark Cuban and their GM for putting together such a poor roster
— Beyond The Data (@BeyondTheData) April 8, 2023
Now show his record without Luka
Mavs were 0-7 in games without Luka before Kyrie was traded to Dallas, he had a winning record w/o Luka but with the same roster everyone said was “no help” for Luka
Stop trying to blame Kyrie instead of Luka
— zip file (@taxtherichjklol) April 8, 2023
Stop blaming Kyrie
It’s everyone’s fault, from the manager to the owner of the team. Getting only Kyrie wasn’t a good move from the Mark Cuban, nor a bad one.
He needs to built a team a way more solid team so Luka and Kyrie can play more comfortably
— increase the peace (@corruptdvision) April 8, 2023
Kyrie is the problem. He got swept in the first round with Kd and caused Luka to miss the playoffs after he led his team to the western conference finals last year and had them as a top 4 seed prior to kyrie playing a game.
— Thetraveler84 (@Thetraveler1984) April 8, 2023
well yea when you trade all your defense that’s what happens
— 優木せつ菜 (@nijigasakilove) April 8, 2023
Before the Kyrie Irving move, they were 29-26, and things quickly went South for them.
The Mavericks need to make better decisions in the offseason if they want to remain competitive in the West.
Jason Kidd warns that plenty of players won’t be back next season, as they try to build a championship squad.
“A lot of people won’t be back next season. There will be a lot of new faces”
– Jason Kidd pic.twitter.com/nnWSo6LeEb
— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) April 8, 2023
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Mavericks are 38-43, sitting at 11th in the West.
Luka Doncic could request a trade next year if they don’t improve.
Kyrie Irving will test the free agency this offseason, despite the Mavericks’ plans to re-sign him.
This is a complex situation for the franchise.
They need to put together a better team around Doncic and Irving.
With two stars, they should be good to go next campaign. However, their defense needs to improve a lot.
Doncic wants to stay as long as possible with the Mavericks, but he knows he must do what’s best for his career.
The Mavericks finish the season this Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs.
The post Fans React To Mavericks Underwhelming Record Since Kyrie Irving Trade appeared first on The Cold Wire.