The Dallas Mavericks made quite a risky bet before the NBA trade deadline.
They traded for Kyrie Irving, knowing that he could leave in the following months, giving away plenty of depth and defense in the process.
Of course, the prospect of Kyrie paired with Luka Doncic was tantalizing, at least offensively.
But neither of them are good defender, and neither is Christian Wood, who’s arguably their third-best player.
With that in mind, and after giving up Dorian Finney-Smith, some expected the Mavs to be very active in more trades or the buyout market.
They failed to land more players via trade, so they can only focus on veteran free agents now.
However, it was still shocking to know that they’re planning on working out NBA veteran LaMarcus Aldridge, who played half a season for the Nets last year and hasn’t played at all this season.
Interesting. https://t.co/FKSxpJ7hJD
— Mike Bacsik (@MikeBacsik) February 14, 2023
Once an All-Star, Aldridge was forced to retire briefly due to a heart condition, and it’s been years since he played consistent and productive minutes at the NBA level.
Moreover, even if he can still provide some value off the bench, he’s not the kind of stopper they need to make up for their stars’ defensive flaws.
Truth be told, it doesn’t seem like the Mavs got any better with the Kyrie trade.
They might actually have gotten worse.
Nonetheless, they’re still going to be must-watch television with those two generational talents in the backcourt, albeit it may not translate to winning a lot of playoff games.
NEXT: 1 Winner And 1 Loser From The Kyrie Irving Trade
