Nets seal one deal, can’t close the other

Irving trade made official before loss to Clippers at Barclays

February 7, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Cam Thomas hit a career-high seven 3-pointers Monday night, but the Nets couldn't hold off the Clippers on the night they officially announced Kyrie Irving's departure from Brooklyn. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

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The Nets finally made it official Monday evening that Kyrie Irving was leaving Brooklyn.

Then, they watched Cam Thomas fill the superstar’s role quite capably in his first career start, even though they let a late lead disappear in the closing moments of a heartbreaking 124-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in front of 16,981 fans at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

Irving, the mercurial guard who made headlines here for his scoring prowess as well as his off-the-court controversies, is headed to Dallas for former Net Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round draft pick as well as second-round selections in 2027 and ’29.

The Nets (32-21), who are still waiting for Kevin Durant to return from a sprain of the right medial collateral ligament, also sent Markieff Morris to the Mavericks.

“We’re excited to add Spencer and Dorian to our roster, while also securing draft compensation that will increase our flexibility moving forward,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks, who refused to give Irving a long-term contract extension last summer.

“Spencer is a dynamic, multi-talented guard who we are very familiar with from his previous stint in Brooklyn,” added Marks.

Nets fans will welcome back Spencer Dinwiddie on Tuesday after the team announced his acquisition from Dallas for Kyrie Irving. AP Photo by Jeff Chiu

After Marks praised Dinwiddie, who spent five seasons here from 2016-2021, he watched Thomas fill it up for the second straight game.

The former first-round pick poured in a career-high 47 points, topping his 44-point effort during Saturday’s win over visiting Washington. Thomas went a dazzling 15-of-29 from the floor, including 7-of-11 from 3-point range.

“I came out hot early,” said Thomas. “I didn’t know it’d be another 40, but I knew I’d probably have a great game again. Kudos to the guys for believing in me and letting me make decisions down the stretch.”

He appeared to have Brooklyn in position to win its second consecutive game without Irving, who wasn’t available Saturday as details of this deal were being worked out.

Thomas’ dominant performance gave the Nets a 107-99 lead halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Clippers (31-26) responded with nine straight points to take the lead for good and finished the game on a 13-3 run that erased any hope of a Brooklyn comeback.

Paul George scored 29 points and Kawhi Leonard added 24 for Los Angeles, which has won eight of its last 10 games.

Edmond Sumner finished with 23 points and Nic Claxton had 15 points and 15 boards for Brooklyn, which fell to 5-8 without Durant, who went down with the injury on Jan. 8 in Miami.

The Nets will give an update on the two-time NBA Finals MVP’s status on Tuesday, but Thomas will have to carry the load until he returns.

Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith are expected to be in Brooklyn for Tuesday night’s tilt against the Phoenix Suns.

“Dorian is an experienced wing who brings perimeter shooting and defensive versatility to our group,” Marks said of Finney-Smith. “Together, the two players will fit seamlessly with our roster and provide the team with proven veteran talent.”

Anyone doubting Thomas these days only has to look at how strong he has looked in a lead scorer’s role, something he displayed off the bench here on several occasions as well as his performances in the Summer League the past two years.

The leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference before arriving here in 2021 out of Louisiana State, Thomas won’t be expected to shoulder as much of the load once Dinwiddie and Durant are in the mix.

As for Irving, his stint here since 2019 included his refusal to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, not joining his teammates at the NBA bubble site in Florida after play resumed in 2020, and his suspension this season for a post linked to a documentary described as anti-semitic.

In between, he was one of the best players in the league and an All-Star starter alongside Durant his year.

“Thank you NetsWorld fans and supporters for the Love on and off the court,” Irving tweeted Monday. “I will forever be grateful I got to live out my dream I had as a Kid with y’all. It will always be Love from me and my family.”

Kyrie Irving said goodbye to Brooklyn and hello to Dallas on Monday as the teams agreed to a swap ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

The dynamic duo, however, never lived up to its billing.

Brooklyn advanced through only one playoff series with its two superstars, the same amount it won since relocating here from New Jersey in 2012, when Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez spearheaded the Nets’ roster.

Now, the Nets must ponder Durant’s status. After asking out of Brooklyn throughout the summer, only to find himself having an MVP campaign prior to his injury, the 34-year-old may be the next one to ask out of our borough.

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn addressed Durant’s approach to the rest of the campaign prior to Monday’s defeat.

“At the end of the day, Kevin wants to win,” he said. “And that’s always been our goal. He wants to win at shootaround. He wants to win any game of the week, that’s why he loves to play, that’s why he wants to play 82 games.

“That will be our holy grail. We will continue to try and put a group out that wins. Until there’s something for me to be concerned about, then I’ll carry on business as usual.”

With Thursday’s trade deadline looming, Marks and the Nets may have some more business to take care of. Especially if they hope to continue seriously pursuing the franchise’s first-ever NBA title.