Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts Tuesday night about the trade that shipped running mate Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Irving, speaking after the Mavericks’ 118-116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, said he was ‘really shocked’ when he learned of the deal.
‘It’s still a grieving process right now,’ Irving told reporters. ‘Miss my hermano. We had a lot of time together. (Markieff Morris) too, and (Maxi Kleber). We just built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court.’
‘This is a business. It’s way above my paygrade,’ Irving added. ‘I just gotta adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms and kind of be ready to go back to Dallas, too, to speak in front of our fans. I know they’re feeling it, too. I’m feeling it too, guys.
‘It’s just an adjustment period. I don’t want to downplay this either, or disrespect our new guys; they’re going to help us win. They’re going to help us build toward a championship. But just like everyone else at home who kind of sees it from afar … it hurts.’
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Irving said the NBA is a ‘ruthless business.’ He added the Mavericks just have to be ‘ready to pick up the pieces and still run towards a championship. That’s the ultimate goal and why I play. Having other guys that are championship winners too helps, but at the same time we still have to acknowledge that our little Slovenian president is no longer here and we have to adjust.’
The 2016 NBA champ did say he was ‘excited’ to play with Anthony Davis. The duo had ‘envisioned’ playing together years ago, Irving said.
Doncic was officially introduced as the Lakers’ newest star Tuesday. Davis did not play Tuesday as he deals with an injury but did participate in shootaround with the Mavericks earlier in the day.
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