Kyrie returns to Brooklyn with Mavs + Could Warriors look to trade Klay Thompson? | NBA Today

Kyrie returns to Brooklyn with Mavs + Could Warriors look to trade Klay Thompson? | NBA Today

All right our last stop is Philadelphia where Kyrie Irving dropped 23 points in his first game back from injury to help the maps get a much needed win now Dallas is in Brooklyn tonight Kyrie was asked about his return to Barclays for the first time since being traded from

The Nets that was one year ago today we’re one big conglomerate it’s one League obviously there’s some history there with certain teams um you know there’s a Competitive Edge that you have going into each game when you play against your former team it’s not like uncommon it’s been happening for years

In the league when guys play their other teams we just need to normalize this basketball fans are going to be fans some people going to love you some people going to not like you that you left but it’s all part of the overall conglomerate that we are as a league

Like that’s what makes it exciting the fanom the support and just staying poised due the chaos all right so it’s been a full year since the Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving from the Nets to pair up with Luca donic and since that point the duo they’ve played in 39 games together out

Of a possible 78 that’s for various reasons availability limitations we’ll say and that leads Dallas to win just 18 of their 39 games together Richard you did Kevin Durant’s return to barlay center right recently so what what do you make of what Kyrie said that we just

Need to normalize this well I think we need to normalize this Brooklyn was his third team yes there was a lot of things that happened there was a lot of things that happened in Boston there was a lot of things that happened in Cleveland we get that and when he’s saying normalize

It players are going to get booze players have been getting booze since in high school in college that that’s a part of it but to make get a bigger deal adds more attention and and you know fierceness to it I think he’s going to get some people that applaud him because

It was great that he came back to Brooklyn and he did that there’s going to be some people that boo him for all the things that happened went on but I think from a player standpoint you don’t make this a big deal this is not his

First it wasn’t the first time he got traded he moved on again he’s moved on since then so I just think we normalize that that’s all well I’ll give Kyrie this he’s normalized breaking up super teams because he broke one up in Cleveland he broke a chance of one up in

Boston and he broke broke up one of the biggest flops of a super team in Brooklyn mhm you know I understand what he’s saying he’s like leave me alone I want to do what I want to do fine but you know you the way it went down there

Like that was nasty that was nasty the way it went down there and I don’t expect the Nets fans to be thrilled it was nasty the way it went down in Boston it was it was he’s I’m going to come back here return there wasn’t the best

Though it wasn’t the best he was sage in the arena yeah he got booed a lot but like who doesn’t give the only thing that helps him in this is that he wasn’t the alone participant in this agre there was multiple stars that were involved in

Again his he definitely was at the Spear of that but at the end of the day you know I I I’ll say you know listen you want to talk about someone’s game that you can Marvel at and watch the performances that he put up as a player

He has one of the most attractive games that you could ever admire and watch just from a fan standpoint so I there will be mixed cheers in there just from the idea of him yeah putting on a show there consistently is something that he did it’s just the other stuff to to to

Be point it’s he going to get a little a little Duke Club that’s the homie man what you what I’m saying but same thing with KD right there were some people that were sad they were like KD we can still build around you we can still you

Like we can still build with the assets that we get we can go get another player you could I understand you’re doing this I’m purely I know I’m saying I understand why the media is doing this is a big deal him going back there yes but ultimately from a player standpoint

He’s looking at this as yes it’ll be good it’s another game I I had to deal with it in Boston I had to deal with it going back to Cleveland it’s just another game well and he should be looking at it that way because the Mavs

Are 13 and 10 in games that both Luca and Kyrie suit suit up that’s good for a 46 win pace which seems a little bit underwhelming considering sort of the numbers Dage has been putting up this season specifically so Austin how far do you think that Dallas is from being in

That sort of contender top tier they’re a big piece away I I I feel you know I I I like their roster but I’m not in love with it uh when we talk about depth playoff experience they have they do have shooting but it’s heavily based around two guys who are both ball

Dominant M um um they have no inside presence the the rookie has helped from duke shout out to to Duke every time we’re going to have to drink good he no he’s been an EXC he’s been a steel he’s been a steal of some sort but uh you

Know I they still need I I’m talking about a legit piece down there in the front court or at least a wing somebody with size that can help them kind of go over the you know who agrees with that Luka yeah so do the Mavericks they’ve

Been trying as hard about as any team in the last week or so trying to figure out a way to get another Wing player to get somebody in there to lighten the load on Luca and Kyrie Grant Williams is a guy who was traded there in the off season

Um he has been a guy that the fit hasn’t been perfect so it wouldn’t stun me if you hear Grant Williams name a little bit out there in the next couple days but they may not be able to find a deal the pickings right now in the league are

A little bit slim yeah and when you look at even what the Knicks did with OG anobi you can find a big Wing that plays multiple position if you can and again they don’t grow on trees that’s why they had to give up what they did that’s why

He’s been such a perfect fit but like that’s I think that’s the level of peace they are away from making a jump that level the name is Andrew Wiggins you know is there a deal there for Andrew Wiggins is that something they would be trying to do would Golden State be doing

That like that’s that’s been in The Ether I don’t know whether the two sides will come to let’s go to The Ether let’s get to Golden State yeah that stuff so what they talking about you ain’t play to finish the game I got to finish the

Game five of the finals car well I haven’t asked that yet but I will now huh I said I haven’t asked it yet but I oh you feel like you about to I answered it for real uh I mean you you didn’t close tonight that’s obviously going to be a

Story I mean it’s all good these guys play great G play great PP Jonathan day winning Trump s is this is this an adjustment period for you a little bit I mean he’s done in a few games obviously yeah kidding me go from you know one of the best

Players it’s hard for anybody you know that I’ll be honest with you so this was the fifth time clay was subbed out in the fourth quarter and did not play in the final 5 minutes of clutch time under Steve Kerr for them they have come this season and then the

Other came in January of 2022 that’s when Thompson was returning from his multiple injuries if you remember um this is kind of tough it it felt a little bit it’s not I’m wrong no no it is tough for a player it’s it’s tough that’s what I mean yeah yeah that’s why

It is tough as tough as a player but I I stand by this there is a there is his his ability has gone down but I think Clay’s not happy I think that’s what you can see a lack of joy in his one of the most raw post game interviews I’ve seen

In 20 years I wouldn’t go come bro let’s not over 20 years 20 years he said that I hear what you’re saying 20 years Brian did you see what he I mean basically he in front of us is coming to terms with the fact that he’s on the Downs side of

His career he’s you know you think he just now realized that in that moment well I I think this is from from the outside looking in just from the outside looking in right and I I’ve never been in your guys’ shoes but Klay Thompson has been someone who has been honest

With us time and time again and I don’t know a player who necessarily wears his identity so wrapped up in this and shares it with us the way that he does and so to see that happen in real time I kind of it felt to me it’s happened multiple times a season where

He’s been benched on the stretch somehow it felt worse and maybe a little bit more critical in last night’s game yeah look if you look at his stats he is averaging 17 points he’s shooting 37% on threes on high volume he’s still a better than average Defender there are

Teams out there that would kill for a player like that amen he is an excellent you know key player he’s just not a superstar anymore y so that happens Richard at one time was a 25o a game score at the end of your career you came with a seventh man yeah like okay

It happens it just just doesn’t always happen when we’ve watched these three guys win 500 games so we have seen him win 500 games and it’s happening as his emotions are pouring out of him in front of us on TV it’s not a rare thing it’s

Just something that we don’t get to see very often my thing is this one of the other trios was Manu Tony and Tim we saw Tim act or we saw we saw Tony actually leave the team we saw Manu become a shell of who he was but they had other

Players around you had kawhai you had other guys like this is a part of basketball I understand it is a vulnerable place to say this I don’t klay’s averaging 17 points a game at on 37% and klay’s not happy Klay doesn’t have a contract in my opinion if clay

Had gotten that contract done you could up the points by two you could up the percentage by two because he’s in a much better place so all of this is not just on clay and how he’s playing mentally Clay is not as sharp and that’s part of

What you’re talking about the drop down and this but part of it is because he’s not happy and he’s been upset for a very long time that this contract hasn’t gotten done and it doesn’t help when you see other contracts like Draymond not that they’re tied together but you see

Draymond get his deal well I’m saying you see Draymond get his deal then they offer you deal you don’t feel like it’s your value like you said there’s a lot of teams that would love to have high volume at 37 not at 40 million a year

I’m I don’t know what the number was at least this isn’t the you know a new situation for him in terms of having struggles he’s had he’s I don’t want to say notorious but he’s had plenty of Seasons where he’s had slow starts he’s had slumps that have gone for a long

Time 37% is not terrible especially for a guy that could go like we know two three weeks where he’s hot and gets his percentage up to 40s again yeah completely capable uh and he’s he would be an asset on just about every competing team in the league all of them

Would like a guy like Klay Thompson so you got to understand their situation their playing style has changed cingo the way he scores it’s different traditionally he’s New Gen scoring the way they score it’s not the traditional ball movement uh Spurs warrior style basketball so there are a little bit of

Changes that could be affecting his play right now and his name has been in the trade talks for the very first time which is very new for him no no you don’t trade Klay Thompson there we go yeah so what are the Warriors going to do so I I know there’s been some

Discussion about there about whether they could trade Chris Paul I I don’t think that’s going to happen I I do think Andrew Wiggins also Jonathan kaminga is playing the best basketball his career they’ve boosted his his playing time by about eight minutes a game over the last 10 games he’s pretty

Much untouchable right now I think it’s like it’s like stephh and kuminga and then everything else I think Wiggins is the piece if they can find something but Wiggins is having his arguably the worst year of his career he’s in the first year of a four year $18 million contract

This is not when you trade somebody yeah right um like they could do a trade but I don’t know if it makes sense so I I you know you just hope he plays better the kind of the second half season build up it’s not something you want to hear

If you’re a Warriors fan you say take action but in action might be the best course they’re they’re in a bad spot look we we can’t gloss over the fact kuminga has played well of late played best basketball but they missed out on a big opportunity in that draft in that

Draft when it was wisan kaminga these guys have not panned the way they should and those were supposed to be the guys that ushered in that new generation of warrior basketball and they have four wings let’s not I mean let’s let’s not just fine they have four rings clay has

Four rings they’re doing just fine but clay will be the first person to tell you that taped up in his locker is every single person who has won five rings from a San Francisco Chronicle article he still has that he still looks at that got four rings and tens of millions of

Dollars see his name I know but he wants to see his name there and we want to see the Golden State Warriors in action which we Will

Kyrie returns to Brooklyn with Mavs + Could Warriors look to trade Klay Thompson? | NBA Today
The NBA Today crew discuss Kyrie Irving’s upcoming return to the Barclay’s Center since being traded to the Dallas Mavericks, how far away the Mavs are from title contention and Klay Thompson’s comments on fourth quarter benching against the Brooklyn Nets.
#nbatoday #nba

0:00 Kyrie Irving returns to Brooklyn for 1st time since being traded to Mavericks
3:35 How far away are the Mavs from title contention right now?
5:45 Klay Thompson on 4th quarter benching
9:30 Any possiblity of Warriors dealing Klay Thompson before trade deadline?

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