Rumors have been circulating that the Dallas Mavericks could trade Kyrie Irving after the recent major changes to the franchise. Dallas gave up on contending with the current core once they traded Anthony Davis for scraps at the trade deadline. However, the offseason has seen bigger changes with the new front office leaders running the team and head coach Jason Kidd leaving the franchise.
Sports Illustrated provided a positive update about Kyrie remaining with Dallas:
“Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have both stated they foresee Irving staying, as they think he and Cooper Flagg can be good fits alongside each other. However, Irving is 34 years old and is coming off an ACL injury.
By the time he takes the floor in October, it will have been 19 months since he played in an NBA game. Kyrie Irving also wants to be in Dallas. He feels comfortable with the city, which is not something you can say for every other stop he has made in his career.”
Both men running the Mavericks have stated they desire to see Irving and rookie sensation Cooper Flagg finally play together. The two Duke products have yet to share the court due to Irving missing the entire past season to recover from injury.
Why People Think Kyrie Could Be Traded
Teams to make so many major changes in such a short time are usually looking to retool everything. Dallas rightfully should be doing this after getting lucky to draft Flagg and move past one of the worst trades in NBA history losing Luka Doncic in exchange for Davis and Max Christie.
Front office, coaching, and talent changes all happening would make sense for an aging point guard coming off an injury to also get traded. Irving could get the Mavericks a draft pick or two and/or a younger prospect more akin to Flagg’s timeline.
Opposing teams are desperate to get better this offseason, and some teams will miss the big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. Opposing General Managers could be willing to give up promising assets to add a multi-time All-Star with NBA Championship experience.
Why Dallas Will Likely Keep Kyrie Irving
The logic is there to keep Irving since Dallas has a generational talent as their face of the franchise. Flagg’s improvement over the second half of the season proved he’s ready to be a major superstar and good enough to impact winning basketball for his franchise.
Irving and Flagg with a solid supporting staff could be good enough to contend for a playoff spot if Kyrie is anywhere near his usual self. The two have a positive relationship since both came from Duke and hold similar stories of being young phenoms drafted first overall in their respective classes.
The veteran leadership of Irving and Klay Thompson could help the Mavericks’ young talents progress faster. Dallas is not in a bad situation, and it makes complete sense to keep Kyrie for at least half of a season before even considering a trade. Irving also loves playing for this franchise and moving a star that wants to be there is often rare in the NBA.
Dallas Mavericks Get Major Update On Kyrie Irving’s Future