Dinwiddie signing shows Mavericks have schooled Lakers 3 times in a row

1. Lakers' rumored pursuit of Kyrie Irving fails as he signs with Mavericks

At the 2022-23 trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks made a blockbuster trade as they sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and multiple draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris.

The Mavs didn't perform particularly well after the trade, as they ended up missing the playoffs, but Dallas still wanted to keep Irving as he became an unrestricted free agent after the season ended.

There were rumblings that the Lakers would pursue Irving in free agency (which later died down), and Irving re-signed with the Mavs on a three-year deal. While the hype around the Lakers getting Irving was overstated, it's big that Irving wanted to stay in Dallas the whole time and didn't play with the idea of teaming up with LeBron James once again in Los Angeles.

For Irving to have landed in Los Angeles last offseason it would have had to have been through a sign-and-trade, and although the odds were against the Lakers, there was still a possibility of Irving signing with the purple and gold.

The Lakers focussed on continuity that summer rather than pursuing Irving hard, and this ended with them being a first-round exit in the playoffs while the Mavs made it all the way to the NBA Finals.

Dallas got the last laugh with this one, as Irving never entertained the rumors of him being a Laker, and he quickly re-signed with Dallas shortly after free agency began.

Irving signing with Dallas over Los Angeles was the beginning of a streak that later included Klay Thompson and Spencer Dinwiddie signing with the Mavs over the Lakers, and times have changed for both franchises.

For all the latest on Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, stay plugged in with us as we'll have you covered.