With the shock of the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic still going around, there has been a lot of talk within the upper part of the organization on why they made the move. The real reason why Doncic was traded is still quite uncertain, but general manager Nico Harrison insists that it was because of looking into the future. That has still left some unwanted comments from many, and Kyrie Irving was asked about the criticism surrounding his former teammate.
“Hopefully, we can tailor back on some of the public criticism aspects of it and really just maintain the kindness and the compassion that we have for each other that’s real everyday not just one moment or a soundbite that could be taken out of context,” Irving said to ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
Everyone has seen what has been said in the headlines regarding why the Mavericks traded Doncic, and those things have caused a meltdown within the fanbase. This can also have some effect on the players, and Irving was right to say that they should keep it kind, similar to when everything was going well for the team..
Luka Doncic criticized after trade to Lakers
After Luka Doncic was traded, there were many comments from Nico Harrison and Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont that tried to paint a different light on the 25-year-old star.
“In my mind the way teams win is by focus, by having the right character, by having the right culture, and having the right dedication to work as hard as possible to create a championship-winning outcome,” Dumont said via The Dallas Morning News. “And if you’re not doing that, you’re going to lose.”
“If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with — [Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O’Neal] — they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win,” Dumont said. “And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks.”
It’s hard to think that Dumont wasn’t trying to throw shade at Doncic, but he doesn’t even seem like the type of player he was describing. Despite Doncic being hurt here and there, he still went out and played at a high level. Even when the Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals last season, he was hurt for most of the run and still played.
At the end of the day, a decision like this could make or break the Mavericks, and it will be interesting to see in the coming years if this will be one of the biggest regrets in sports history.
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