Kyrie Irving is officially joining the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday after undergoing and passing a team physical.
ESPN reported that Irving will join the team for Tuesday’s practice and make his team debut when the Mavericks visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
The trade was reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday afternoon, and the Mavericks confirmed the acquisition through a press release on Monday evening.
As part of the deal, Dallas also received veteran forward Markieff Morris and sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and multiple draft picks to Brooklyn.
Finney-Smith took to Instagram after the trade.
“Thank you Dallas for accepting me with open arms!” he wrote. “Y’all watched me grow on and off the court for the past years. Love always!”
According to the press release, Irving will wear jersey No.2 and Morris will wear No.13.
Irving arrived in Dallas on a private plane at Love Field Airport on Monday afternoon before undergoing his physical.
Head coach Jason Kidd shared his optimism for the Mavericks’ new player.
“We feel that the talent and his abilities to make us better are something that we needed, ” Kidd told media members after Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz, per ESPN. “We feel getting him is going to help put us in a position to win a championship.”
Irving had requested a trade after the Nets did not offer him a desirable deal to stay with the team beyond this season.
The eight-time All-Star adds an elite scorer to the Mavericks team, as Irving has averaged 27.1 points per game on the season, alongside Doncic’s 33.4 points.
The move was met with mixed reviews and questions about Irving’s attitude, as The Dallas Express previously reported. However, Kidd is choosing to focus on the positives he brings to the table.
“He’s all about basketball,” Kidd told ESPN. “He wants to win, and he wants to be coached, and this is a great opportunity for me to have someone like this to help.”
“This gives us another weapon,” Kidd continued, ESPN reported. “Someone is going to be free. Someone is going to have the advantage.”
Wednesday night’s game will be broadcast on ESPN at 9 p.m. CT.
