NBA Playoff Failures Could Force Desperate Trade With Mavericks for Kyrie Irving

The NBA Playoffs are underway, and for the season in a row, the Dallas Mavericks are not a part of them. To go from the NBA Finals to missing the next two playoffs is an extremely rare situation in NBA history, but the Mavs managed to find a way to do it.

The Mavericks want to be back in postseason contention next season. Cooper Flagg will be a little better after an outstanding rookie season. Kyrie Irving will be back after missing the whole season recovering from a torn ACL. They have three draft picks in a loaded 2026 class, including a lottery pick. Dereck Lively II should also be back from injury. That's a lot of reason for optimism.

However, what if some failures in the playoffs from other teams force them to overpay for a player like Kyrie Irving in a trade?

Dallas would prefer to keep Kyrie Irving. They think he can be the perfect complement for Cooper Flagg and whoever else they end up drafting. That's the last regime, though. The Mavericks are looking for a new general manager or president of basketball operations. What if they come in and decide the future of the team is better if they trade Irving? It's not that far-fetched.

Mar 9, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) dribbles against Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

3 Playoff Teams to Watch for Kyrie Irving

Three teams would make sense for a Kyrie Irving trade if they bow out early from the NBA Playoffs.

The first is the Houston Rockets. Mavericks fans understandably hate the Rockets, but this would make sense for a lot of reasons. The first is pairing Irving with Kevin Durant once again. The Brooklyn experiment didn't go well, but there were rumors of Irving and Durant wanting to team back up in Dallas, and they could have the opportunity to do so in Houston. It's also pretty easy to line up a trade. Fred Van Vleet and Dorian Finney-Smith (his contract is iffy, but only next year is guaranteed) are almost a perfect salary match, and the Rockets own the Mavericks' first-round pick in 2029.

Dallas would probably prefer Reed Sheppard in that trade, but that's a very easy, reasonable deal that could be done. The Mavericks may even be able to get more draft capital back. Houston is currently down 2-0 to a Los Angeles Lakers team playing without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Another option could be the Detroit Pistons, who lost Game 1 to the Orlando Magic. Irving has shown the ability to play alongside ball-dominant players like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, so there wouldn't be any issues playing with Cade Cunningham. Detroit has plenty of first-round picks to trade, and they could pair Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert to get to nearly $30 million in salary.

The last one is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been seeking an upgrade at point guard for years now. A backcourt of Irving and Anthony Edwards would be a lot of fun to watch. However, Minnesota doesn't have a lot of draft capital to trade; they can basically only swap in 2028 and 2032. Minnesota could package Julius Randle with Terrance Shannon Jr. for the salary, but the draft capital may be too much to overcome.

The Timberwolves are tied 1-1 with the Denver Nuggets in the opening round.

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