How the Miami Heat can get in the game for Kyrie Irving

Ever since the Miami Heat made their big move this offseason in acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, many pundits have pointed out their need for more shooting and perimeter offensive shot creation.

They addressed the shooting concerns, having signed two high-volume snipers in Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr., drafting another in Ryan Conwell, re-signing their own with Simone Fontecchio and Andrew Wiggins, while getting back a shooting big off the bench in Bobby Portis as part of the deal for the two-time MVP.

Now, Heat fans and NBA observers alike are wondering if the Heat will be able to add another shot creator to add some versatility to their Playoff offense. There's been some buzz about a certain player who fits that mold potentially becoming available down the line.

"Kyrie [Irving] organized that little mini camp that they had. Really, he returns to the role that he had when Luka was in Dallas, and that is the co-star and the vocal leader of the team, the voice in the locker room, the veteran that all these guys look up to and want to listen to," ESPN's Tim McMahon began. "But I'll tell you, the question that's being asked around the league is for how long? How long is this fit with Kyrie and the Mavericks?"

The Mavericks, one of Irving's preferred destinations after asking out of Brooklyn, originally acquired the 2016 champion in 2023 co-star alongside perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic.

After a Finals run in 2024, Doncic was dealt for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future first round pick in one of the more eye-opening trades in the league's history.

Ever since, the Mavericks have toiled with bad records, trading away Davis and buying out the Miami-bound Klay Thompson in the process while pivoting to a rebuild around Cooper Flagg.

"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," McMahon continued. "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 to go to? These are the kind of things that people around the league will be monitoring leading up to the trade deadline."

"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?"

—@BannedMacMahon on Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg on the Mavericks 👀 pic.twitter.com/Iwb1H52nrP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 21, 2026

Irving is under contract for $39 million this upcoming season, with a player option for $42 million for the season after.

"Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri also has a really good relationship, as you mentioned, with Kyrie Irving. I think it's the kind of relationship where if Kyrie says 'Hey, Masai, like, this isn't for me', I think they could work together to get something done," ESPN's Marc Spears added. "I don't think it would be something ugly. I think there would be interest in Kyrie if he's as healthy as he looks."

"Masai also has a really good relationship as you mentioned with Kyrie Irving. I think it's the kind of relationship where if Kyrie says, hey, Masai, like, this isn't for me, I think they could work together to get something done. I don't think would be something ugly. I think… pic.twitter.com/TS2YEOnans
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 21, 2026

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.

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.

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.

Additionally, their 2029 draft pick is their last tradeable first rounder for a little while, while Conwell is someone they sent cash to get the opportunity to draft early in the second round. As an older rookie who projects as a high-volume marksman and quality defender, to go along with the Heat's depleted young core, it's doubtful that the Heat would like the move off of him also.

Other alternatives exist. If you replace Wiggins' salary with that of Portis and Nikola Jovic, that trade would technically work. But Jovic's four-year extension doesn't seem like a salary that the Mavericks would want in return. Another one that is legal would be with Portis going out the door alongside Wiggins instead of Mitchell.

One issue with all of these trade frameworks, however, is that the Mavericks are currently at the 15-man roster limit after buying Thompson out of his contract. In any one of these trades, they'd be taking back one or two more players over the roster limit.

Additionally, the Mavericks just re-signed veteran Dwight Powell to a training camp spot and want to keep him around as a locker room presence.

Any trade involving Irving and the Heat would almost definitely have to involve a third (or fourth) team helping facilitate a deal, as the Mavericks' other small contracts consist of younger players they presumably wouldn't want in the deal.

In 36 minutes per game in 2024-2025, Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals, converting on 43.7 percent of his field goals and 40.1 percent of his threes.

In the 2024 Playoffs, Irving averaged 22.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and a steal per game, where he sank 47.6 percent of his field goals and 39 percent of his threes.

Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at @tropicalblanket on Twitter.

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