Heading into the 2026-27 NBA season, star point guard Kyrie Irving has a very uncertain future with the Dallas Mavericks, as his name has been heavily mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason.
Irving, 34, is coming off a torn ACL that saw him miss all of last season. He doesn’t line up with the timeline of new franchise star Cooper Flagg and the other young players on this Mavericks team, which has turned him into one of the top trade candidates in the NBA heading into the new year.
Though Irving is expected to start the season in Dallas, a new report on a potential trade during the season only heats up the rumors about the star counting down his days in a Mavericks uniform.
New Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors As Uncertain Future Continues
Speaking on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim McMahon discussed the idea of the Mavericks trading Irving, a thought that has been tossed around since the offseason.
“What is the goal of the organization? It is to build a sustainable contender around a 19-year-old prodigy. Kyrie’s in his mid-thirties. I think we all understand the math, and so I do think this is something. I know a lot of other teams are monitoring this, I think let’s just keep an eye on it from a transaction cycle to transaction cycle basis, and so would I be stunned if Kyrie ends up getting traded at the deadline? No, I would not be stunned by that,” MacMahon said.
“And, you know, in saying that, it could absolutely be a win-win type of situation where they work together, and there’s no hard feelings, and everybody gives each other a hug and wishes each other well.”
Irving missed all of the 2025-26 season with the ACL injury, which he’s expected to be fully healed from now. The previous year, the star point guard averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 47.3% shooting in 50 games. He’s not at the peak of his career, but if Dallas does decide to trade him, the 2016 NBA champion still has a very high value around the league, and the Mavericks could get a decent return for him.
“But look, the most important thing is obviously for that even to be an appealing alternative for the Mavericks is Kyrie comes back and plays well and reminds people just how viable he is. And if he is on the market, I don’t think there’s any question he’d be one of the most coveted players around the deadline,” the Mavericks reporter added.
Irving remains one of the most electric and exciting players in the league. If it’s not in Dallas, he could play a huge role in helping another team compete for a title this season or until his three-year, $118 million contract extension ends in 2028.
Mavericks Rumors On Star Point Guard Are Nothing New
Even though McMahon made some telling recent comments, the Irving trade buzz isn’t anything new.
With the quick rise of Flagg and the Mavericks looking to start a new era, the idea of him being moved for more young talent, presumably shooters and other ball-handlers, was a prominent topic of discussion during the offseason.
The Detroit Pistons were named a top Irving trade landing spot, and though after the Jalen Duren deal they are likely not interested anymore, there are still several teams around the NBA, like the Miami Heat or Houston Rockets, who could be interested in the veteran’s services, even if he’s coming off the ACL injury that forced him out for a full year.
Earlier in the offseason, it was insider Marc Stein who commented on the Irving trade rumors.
“Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches,” he wrote. “The primary factor fueling that curiosity, of course, is that fact that Irving is 34 and Mavericks star forward Cooper Flagg is 19. Not your average age gap between the team’s two best players.”
McMahon also spoke about a potential Irving trade as Dallas looks to move forward with a young core led by Flagg.
—@BannedMacMahon on Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg on the Mavericks 👀
“The question that’s being asked around the league is, ‘For how long?’ How long is this fit with Kyrie and the Mavericks? It’s not because the Mavericks don’t love Kyrie, they do,” he said. “So could there come a time when it makes sense for both sides to find a contender for Kyrie Irving to go to? These are the kind of things that people around the league will be monitoring leading up to the trade deadline.”
The Irving trade buzz is real, and while he’s expected to start the season with the Mavericks, it’s far from a guarantee that it’s where he ends the season. The star guard could garner a huge package in return, so it won’t be surprising if Dallas turns these rumors into real trade talk as the new season progresses.
Kyrie Irving Handed Major Update On New Mavericks Trade Rumors