Perhaps no player has been more discussed in NBA trade rumors than Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, who was recently linked to the Miami Heat in speculation.
The Heat has no confirmed interest in Irving, and the Mavs do not intend to trade Irving at this time. There is no movement on a deal, but that could change in as little as four or five months.
The idea is that Irving, the 34-year-old, nine-time All-Star, belongs on a team immediately positioned to contend for a championship. The Mavs are building around teenage sensation Cooper Flagg and, although they are quickly headed down the path of contention, they are not there yet. Now, the same cannot be said about the Heat, which acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade in June.
What Could the Miami Heat Offer for Kyrie Irving?
According to Heat reporter Alex Toledo, a potential trade package for Irving would center around stars Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, two players who are currently installed as Miami’s core pieces.
“Could the Heat make sense as a potential trade destination for a player with a resume consisting of high-level ball-handling, scoring and secondary playmaking? The Heat have a few ways of putting together a legal trade for Irving,” Toledo wrote. “From what is possible and realistic, (excluding Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo’s salaries), the Heat’s best possible offer would be a package surrounding Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, followed by a sweetener or two like their conditional 2029 first round pick, Pelle Larsson or Conwell.”
Although the Heat can assemble a legal trade framework for Irving, Toledo believes Miami would hesitate to give up multiple starting pieces for an older superstar.
“Despite Irving’s pedigree, my first instinct is the Heat would not want to offer up all of that. For starters, Wiggins, Mitchell and Larsson will each be playing somewhere between 27-32 minutes per game and are the Heat’s best perimeter defenders.”
A Healthy Irving Would Make Miami a Bonafide Contender
Heat fans would beg to differ, but it sure seems like the team is one elite backcourt creator away from taking a gigantic step forward. Although Antetokounmpo is one of the greatest Swiss army knives to ever step foot on the hardwood, history has shown the two-time league MVP is at his best with an elite table-setter helping him run the offense.
The good news is that Irving could become expendable in Dallas rather soon.
“It’s not because the Mavericks don’t love Kyrie. They do. It’s not because Kyrie doesn’t love Dallas and hasn’t enjoyed his experience there, by and large he has,” ESPN’s Tim McMahon recently said. “But they’re building around a 19 year-old prodigy in Cooper Flagg, so could there come a time when it makes sense for both sides to, you know, find a contender for Kyrie to go to? These are the kind of things that people around the league will be monitoring leading up to the trade deadline.”
The Mavs have every intention of retaining Irving at least until the midseason deadline to assess what the former All-Star is capable of producing alongside Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year. If Dallas rises through the Western Conference ranks and eyes a playoff spot, the likelihood that Irving gets traded during the season perhaps drastically decreases.
On the flip side, if the Mavs show they are clearly in the early stages of what appears to be a promising rebuild, Irving could be one of a few veterans who get moved from Dallas ahead of the February trade deadline.
Miami Heat’s ‘Best Possible’ Kyrie Irving Trade Package Revealed