Mark Cuban reacts to the Kyrie Irving trade / News - Basketnews.com

Mark Cuban was happy to add the second-best ballhandler in the league besides Luka Doncic. Defenses will have to pick the poison between them, he says. The trade will open up an opportunity for Josh Green to showcase his talents, Cuban told.

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Kyrie Irving's trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks has been at the forefront of basketball news for several days now. With the deal made official yesterday evening, Mavs owner Mark Cuban answered some questions about it.

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The billionaire businessman was happy with the trade and said the best backcourt in the NBA is now in Dallas.

"We thought we really needed the opportunity to get another player like Kyrie that's transcendental, and would give us the best backcourt in the NBA. We have probably the best ball-handler in Luka and now we feel like we have the second-best as well," he said.

"That creates unique opportunities, puts a lot of pressure on the defense, allows us to rest Luka more when Kyrie's on the court and Luka is resting," Cuban explained. "I think it's really going to be good for us."

Asked whether the duo will gel on the court together, Cuban had no doubts.

"Both of them just like to win. They'll hit the hot man, they'll give the ball, I don't think either one feels like 'I have to score all the time'. With Luka, it's always been 'go with the hot hand and let's just win', and Kyrie's the same way," Cuban gave his reasoning.

"When he starts tomorrow the first game, even though Luka won't be playing, you will see him just moving the ball and getting to the guy who can score. It will be fun to watch," he said. "When we need to get a bucket, if it's not Luka, it's going to be Kyrie, if it's not Kyrie, it's going to be Luka - pick your poison."

As part of the trade, Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie were shipped to the Nets. Cuban says it was a calculated risk related to one player that's currently on the roster.

"As unfortunate as it is for Dorian [Finney-Smith] to leave, it's really going to open up a lot of minutes for Josh Green. We'll have the opportunity to put the ball in his hands more because he's been really good at creating off the dribble, shooting the three," the owner explained.

"Defensively, he's literally been our best on-ball defender. Part of the value in this is freeing up some minutes for Josh," Cuban continued. "We'll talk to other teams, we'll see what's out there but adding Kyrie is no small piece."

Cuban is excited to see Irving join the Mavericks. The billionaire businessman said he liked Kyrie's curiosity right from the get-go.

"He was really excited. Kyrie's a talker, he's a smart kid, he was already asking all kinds of questions, asking business questions, I was having fun with it," Cuban shared. "I'm really excited to get to know him better."

Full Mark Cuban's answer:

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