Mavericks star Kyrie Irving in ‘grieving process’ after shock trade of Luka Dončić to Lakers

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving says he is in the “grieving process” after the shock news over the weekend that the team had traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving says he is in the “grieving process” after the shock news over the weekend that the team had traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. In one of the most stunning trades in league history, the Mavericks sent Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and Los Angeles’ 2029 first-round draft pick. And speaking after Dallas’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, Irving admitted that he was “really shocked” when he found out the news of the trade, much like the majority of the NBA community. “You just don’t imagine you’re going to get ready to go to sleep and then you find out news like that,” Irving told reporters after scoring 34 points in 42 minutes in the 118-116 loss to the 76ers. “It’s still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano (“brother” in Spanish). “We had a lot of time together, (Markieff Morris) too and Maxi (Kleber) and we just built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court. So if anyone can understand at home, so if someone or a few people leave in a trade, it’s going to be difficult and that’s what we’re dealing with now.” Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, who was at Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia, every question posed to Irving focused on the Dončić trade and none were asked about the defeat.