Vince Carter criticizes Mavericks’ trade for Kyrie Irving, stating Dallas gave up too much
blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving in hopes it would put their championship hopes over the top. Instead, they plummeted in the standings and missed the playoffs altogether.
Former Mavericks guard Vince Carter kept a close eye on his former team, both before and after the trade. In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Carter gave his honest assessment.
“I didn’t like it,” Carter said, “and it has nothing to do with Kyrie. I didn’t like how much they had to give up to get him.”
Carter said the trade cost the Mavericks their best defensive player (Dorian Finney-Smith) and forced star Luka Doncic to work even harder on the defensive end.
“I do think (Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic) can work, the two of them together. But I feel the issue is the roster; that’s the problem,” Carter said.
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An eight-time All-Star, Carter understands how tough it can be to fall short. In his 22 NBA seasons, he never won a championship.
Putting the right players together is not an easy task.
“If you put a better roster around those guys then you can see if it’s a roster that is willing to do whatever, and buy in,” he said. “If you start out, and you’re not very good, after a while it’s, ‘I’m going to get mine. I’m going to get my numbers.’ To hit (contract) incentives …