The San Antonio Spurs have been urged to dump De’Aaron Fox’s long-term contract in exchange for two-time All-Star Darius Garland. However, another interesting option could be 9-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, who could reportedly be on the move from the Dallas Mavericks by the February trade deadline.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, rival teams expect the Mavs to move on Irving as they prepare to go full steam ahead with their rebuild around Cooper Flagg.
“Question that’s being asked around the league is, for how long is this fit with Kyrie and the Mavericks?” And it’s not because the Mavericks don’t love Kyrie. They do,” MacMahon reported on “NBA Today” on Monday.
“It’s not because Kyrie doesn’t love Dallas and hasn’t enjoyed his experience there. He has,” continued the insider. “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 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,” added MacMahon.
Should Spurs Trade De’Aaron Fox?
The Spurs have every reason to get out from under Fox’s contract. The All-Star guard became nearly unplayable in the five-game NBA Finals series against the New York Knicks, averaging 12.8 points, 6.o assists and 3.0 rebounds on 34% shooting.
By moving Fox, the Spurs would also be able to unleash second-year guard Dylan Harper, who flashed serious superstar upside during his first playoff run.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently floated a deal that would send Fox to the LA Clippers in exchange for Garland.
“If I’m the Clippers, I’m at least calling the Spurs and being like, yo, we have Garland, we love them,” Simmons said. “But if you want to talk about flipping four years of Fox for two years of Garland and throwing some of your stuff at us, we’re happy to have the conversation,” Simmons said in his podcast.
“And then if you’re the Spurs, you’re like, well, we, we messed up this Fox thing. We didn’t realize we’re going to get Harper when we did the, you know, the wink-wink with the Fox extension, we’re going to have to have money to pay Wemby and Castle. And eventually, Harper could Garland be a two-year stopgap now instead of four.”
Kyrie Irving Could Fit With Spurs
Even at 34 and coming off a career-threatening injury, Irving is simply a tier above a 28-year-old Fox.
Look no further than the Finals: the Spurs desperately needed Irving’s shot-making and ability to break down the Knicks’ defense. Instead, San Antonio froze in the clutch during Games 4 and 5, putting up a painful 27.8% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc.
Irving is also not a long-term cap liability for the Spurs. He has a $42M player option in 2027-28, giving the Spurs a two-year window of pairing him with Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Haper. The risk could be worth the reward.
San Antonio Spurs Get Significant Kyrie Irving Trade Update