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Kyrie Irving Reflects on 2018 'Dream' of Playing with Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 5, 2025

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 22: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks high fives Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the game on November 22, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis on Saturday night.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Irving divulged that playing alongside AD is an idea that was first conceived back in 2018 when he was playing for the Boston Celtics:

"We were discussing in 2018, just for everybody at home that's watching, because I know all of these words are going to be looked at.

"But yeah, in 2018, it was a dream for Kyrie, AD, [Kevin Durant] to be on one team and still keep [Jayson Tatum] and let him grow and then see how it goes. But back then, those young guys weren't ready to be in trade rumors, man. Our locker room splintered after that once they found out. It wasn't [Jaylen Brown] or JT, but our locker room splintered once they started figuring out the trade rumors, and our season started going in a whole different way."

Irving was the veteran leader in Boston at that time, guiding the likes of Tatum and Brown. There were constant rumors of major trades surrounding the team, and they often focused on Davis, who was with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kyrie ended up leaving Boston to sign with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 offseason, and Durant joined him. Davis was then traded from the Pelicans to the Lakers, and he helped LeBron James win a championship in 2020.

Now, seven years since Davis-to-Boston trade rumors ran rampant, he will finally get the opportunity to play alongside Irving.

The Mavs and Lakers shocked the basketball world Saturday night since there was no indication Dončić or Davis were even available. In the end, the Lakers landed a 25-year-old superstar in Dončić, plus Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Mavericks got Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.

Irving admitted Tuesday that he is already missing Dončić, who he teamed with to bring the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season, saying: "Just really shocked. You just don't imagine you're going to get ready to go to sleep and then you find out news like that. It's still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano."

Despite his personal feelings, Irving acknowledged that the NBA is a "business," and he noted: "I've just got to adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms.

While swapping a 25-year-old Dončić for a 31-year-old Davis perhaps shortens the Mavs' championship window, it can be argued that AD is a better complement to Kyrie since he can do work on the interior at both ends of the floor, while Irving is the primary ball-handler and playmaker.

Perhaps the biggest questions relates to whether the Mavs have enough pieces around Irving and Davis to be a championship team.

Entering play Wednesday, Dallas is 11th in the Western Conference at 26-25, meaning the team has some work to do in terms of securing a top-10 spot and then perhaps a top-six spot in order to avoid the postseason play-in game.

Davis returning from an abdominal injury should go a long way toward getting the Mavs on the right track, and per Bontemps, Davis suggested Tuesday that he could make his Mavericks debut either Thursday against the Boston Celtics or Saturday against the Houston Rockets.