Division Rival Could Steal Kyrie Irving From Mavericks: Report

Getty Mavericks star Kyrie Irving

A division rival could steal Kyrie Irving from the Dallas Mavericks.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Houston Rockets could pursue Irving this offseason if they don’t get James Harden.

“I have also heard that the Rockets, in the event that they are unable to lure Harden away from Philadelphia and back to Houston, plan to weigh a run at Dallas’ Kyrie Irving,” Stein wrote. “The Mavericks remain the league’s only known team with definitive interest in signing the mercurial Irving next month, but league sources say that the Rockets have been increasingly cited as a team that could (stress: could) join the bidding if Harden elects to stay with the 76ers.”

Irving becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, while Harden can become a free agent if he declines his 2023-24 player option with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Rockets have more than $60 million in cap space. They could pay Irving a lot of money to come to Houston this offseason.

Kyrie Irving Has ‘Expressed Desire’ to Re-Sign With Mavericks

Stein, who covers the Mavericks as a credentialed reporter, is reporting that Irving wants to re-sign with Dallas.

If the NBA operates with a $134 million salary cap, Irving would be eligible to re-sign with the Mavericks on a five-year, $272 million contract.

“Yet two sources close to the process insisted Monday that Irving has consistently expressed a desire to remain a Maverick and actually wants to shut down the notion that he’s angling to get to L.A.,” Stein wrote. “‘He wants to stay,’ said one source. The clear signals Monday out of Dallas suggest that the Mavericks believe that. With or without a LeBron James reunion.”

Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 20 games with Dallas this season. Even though the Mavericks didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament despite having Irving and Luka Doncic, Dallas would like to bring Irving back.

“I hear he’s going back to Dallas on a 3+1 [a player option on the fourth year]. His contract will line up [identically] with Luka’s,” one player agent told Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.

LeBron James Will Not Be on the Mavericks

According to Bill Reiter of CBS Sports, LeBron James will not leave the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason and join the Mavericks despite Irving recruiting the four-time MVP to Dallas.

James, 38, signed a two-year extension with the Lakers last offseason. The four-time Finals MVP has a player option for the 2024-25 season.

“LeBron’s not going to Dallas,” one source told Reiter. “That doesn’t even make sense. This is about Kyrie telling (Lakers general manager) Rob (Pelinka) that he’s not taking a discount. And about LeBron trying to create some leverage.”

The new CBA resembles a hard cap, making it almost impossible to have three max players on a roster. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers aren’t interested in what the Mavericks could offer them for James.

If LeBron doesn’t retire from the NBA this offseason, he will be back with the Lakers next season. His first son, Bronny, is playing college basketball at USC and his wife and two other children love living in Los Angeles, sources told Heavy Sports.