"Best trade in the business" - Kyrie Irving fires direct shots at Nets, claims Mavs won his deal

Shortly before the 2023 trade deadline, Kyrie Irving began a new chapter in his basketball career when he debuted for the Dallas Mavericks. A little over a year later, the Mavericks were playing in the NBA Finals, something Irving was never able to do in the much-hyped "Big Three" era of the Brooklyn Nets.

After the Mavs' 106-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder this past Friday, the second anniversary of Irving's trade to Dallas was brought up in the post-game interview. This prompted Irving to beam with pride as he commented on that transaction:

"Best trade in the business, baby. We won that trade."

On Feb. 6, 2023, Irving was traded by the Nets to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft picks. Markieff Morris was also dealt to Brooklyn in this transaction.

Two years after the trade, the Mavericks have played more postseason games than the Nets. Irving and his new running mate Luka Doncic were playing for the NBA title in 2024, while Brooklyn failed to make it past the first round in the same season that they dealt Irving away.

There's credence, then, to Irving's claim about the Nets winning the trade. For good measure, he got one more dig at his former team in Friday's post-game interview:

"I was bad goods," Irving said sarcastically, hinting at the Nets' view of him right before he was traded.

Kyrie Irving opens up about his brotherly relationship with Luka Doncic

By the looks of it, Irving is having a blast in Dallas precisely because he's developed a tight bond with his fellow superstar. Earlier this week, Irving was asked a unique question by a reporter: Does Luka Doncic annoy him?

Letting out a chuckle, Irving gave this reply:

"Yeah people get annoying. He’s not the only person that annoys me; I annoy him too. We just spend a lot of time off the court just enjoying each other’s presence."

The one-time NBA champion shared that, in much the same way brothers interact with each other, he and Doncic occasionally needle each other with playful jabs:

"We annoy each other when the wine gets going, start telling jokes, and he starts bringing up how he beat me when I was in Brooklyn," said Irving. "Annoying is part of friendship and part of brotherhood, so I'm not mad at it."

Thus far, Doncic has missed a significant amount of time due to a left calf strain that he sustained on Christmas Day. He can rest assured, though, that his "annoying" brother Irving is holding the fort for the Mavericks.