Around mid-August, the NBA trade rumor mill linked the Miami Heat to Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving.
The reason? Irving being a superstar, Miami being a big market and the Heat needing some help at point guard.
While no Irving trade is imminent, the veteran point guard is, by all accounts, a target for teams out there, with NBA insider Marc Stein recently reporting that teams “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.” If the Mavs make Irving available in trade talks, teams will come calling with their best offers.
Kyrie Irving Expected to Be Traded, But Will the Miami Heat Make a Move?
Irving, the 34-year-old, nine-time All-Star, is among a shortlist of superstars that analyst Trevor Lane expects to be traded soon.
“Five NBA players I expect to be traded this season, starting with No. 1, Kyrie Irving,” Lane said on “TheBasketballBulletin.” “Going into his age-34 season, he is not on the same timeline as Cooper Flagg, and he has the ability to be a free agent next summer. I think once he reestablishes his value on the court, the Mavs are gonna cash out.”
The Mavs have resisted incoming trade interest for Irving this summer, according to many reports, and intend to start the season with Irving on the roster. Dallas seems to have high hopes for the duo of Irving and Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year. But that hasn’t stopped the prevailing belief around the league that Irving is on borrowed time with the Mavs.
“But front offices across the league anticipate that one or both parties could decide it’s in their best interest to part ways, wondering about the long-term fit of the 34-year-old Irving as the Mavs prioritize building around teenage prodigy Cooper Flagg,” ESPN reported in August.
Irving was brought in to be a cornerstone of the franchise alongside Luka Doncic before the superstar point guard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. With Dallas very much looking to go younger and accelerate their rebuild, Irving is a logical trade chip.
Could Miami Make an Attractive Trade Offer?
Now that’s the question worth asking.
In a traditional sense, acquiring a player of Irving’s caliber requires the receiving team to surrender a young player and one or two first round picks. Do the Heat have either?
The Heat has young players it believes in, starting with Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larson. But neither player would be considered a blue-chipper in a trade for a superstar. Plus, the Heat has no tradeable first round picks. While Miami could make an Irving trade move financially, team insider Ira Winderman argued the Mavs would have little incentive to trade their star point guard to the Heat.
“But Dallas would do that why? It would mean taking on three more years of Jovic and one more of (Bobby) Portis, plus having to waive three players,” Winderman wrote. “So, yes, there is math that could be argued (albeit not argued very convincingly). But common sense, and the lack of remaining Heat draft capital after the Giannis (Antetokounmpo) trade, speak otherwise. Yes, with Dallas buying out Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, at 34, also would appear misaligned for a team turning to the youth of Cooper Flagg and other prospects. But other teams probably could offer more, if so inclined.”
The Heat’s chances of landing Irving can only improve if there aren’t many suitors for the former All-NBA guard if/when the Mavs are ready to trade him. But if that’s the case, that might mean Irving isn’t nearly the same player he was before tearing his ACL in March 2025.
But it is never easy to count out president Pat Riley. He knows how to land the big names.
Miami Heat Get Good News on Kyrie Irving as 6’3″ Star Expected to Be Traded