Will the Dallas Mavericks Actually Trade NBA Superstar Kyrie Irving?

The Dallas Mavericks face a lot of big decisions this offseason. They've already overhauled their front office, hiring Masai Ujiri to be team president and Mike Schmitz as general manager, and Jason Kidd is no longer the head coach.

Ujiri has said that every move the Mavericks will make is about the future of the franchise. They have a generational 19-year-old superstar in Cooper Flagg, who is coming off one of the best rookie seasons of all time. That makes the hard part of a rebuild already done, but how they build the team around him will be telling.

The firing of Kidd and Ujiri's comments about the future have people wondering about the availability of Kyrie Irving. Multiple people have reported that contending teams are expected to try to pry Irving out of Dallas, with teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets making a lot of sense.

However, how realistic is that? Will the Mavericks actually move on from Kyrie Irving?

Feb 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks on during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving Expected to Stay in Dallas

Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have both stated they foresee Irving staying, as they think he and Cooper Flagg can be good fits alongside each other. However, Irving is 34 years old and is coming off an ACL injury. By the time he takes the floor in October, it will have been 19 months since he played in an NBA game. While everyone thinks he can bounce back to form, no one would fault the Mavericks for trying to sell high on him.

Kyrie Irving also wants to be in Dallas. He feels comfortable with the city, which is not something you can say for every other stop he has made in his career. He has made a habit of wearing out his welcome, but Mavericks fans have fully embraced him.

Irving was very close with Coach Kidd, which is why the Mavericks felt comfortable pulling the trigger on trading for him a few years ago. Getting rid of Coach Kidd is a big reason why people think they may look to trade Irving, but the Mavs have said the exact opposite so far.

Dallas could just be looking to raise the demand for Irving. They need more draft capital for the next few years, as they don't control their first-round picks until 2031 after this offseason. Some teams may come in and overpay for Irving, and if they can get a handful of draft picks for Irving, they may need to consider it.

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