Sunday Musings: Mavs start arms race, how will move impact Kings' trade deadline plans?

It was quiet. Too quiet. And then Sunday morning hit.

In dueling banjo fashion, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski took to social media to break the details of a deal that sent eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks.

The reported cost was scoring guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorrian Finney-Smith and some future draft capital. The Mavs added Markieff Morris in the trade as well.

Whether the Mavs got better or not will take time to figure out. Irving is clearly the most talented player in the trade, but his long history of being a distraction is something the Nets won’t miss. He now becomes Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic’s problem.

What this trade does is put the Mavs on the map. They have a talent to put alongside Doncic, which could be a problem in a tight Western Conference. If Christian Wood can return to health and fit in with the two stars, Dallas could be intriguing.

Is this the first real move in a Western Conference arms race?

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