Kyrie Irving, Mavericks
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Kyrie Irving will have a new shoe released on Feb. 7 honoring Kobe Bryant.
The Dallas Mavericks could make Kyrie Irving available now that the franchise is no longer set on contending for an NBA Championship. Dallas had high hopes entering the season that Anthony Davis could lead them to the playoffs, and Irving would return for the playoff run. Not only did both of those things fail, but Davis was already traded to the Washington Wizards for scraps.
Sporting News predicted Kyrie as a name that could be in the 2028 expansion draft due to his contract and referenced why the Mavericks may want to move on:
“The Mavs will hopefully be looking to compete in deeper playoff runs around Cooper Flagg by this point (2028). Irving may be worth keeping around, but the history of guards who suffer ACL tears at such a late age aren’t great. More likely, they’ll be willing to part with Irving for a younger lead guard.”
Irving’s complicated injury history and road back from an ACL history will be tough for Dallas to believe in. The Mavericks dealing Davis at the trade deadline confirmed that they aren’t expecting to contend next season and feel comfortable trading away veterans in favor of making moves for the long-term future.
Why Cooper Flagg Impacts Kyrie’s Career
Rookie Cooper Flagg is currently the most important asset for the Mavericks, and everything will be built around him. Dallas’ original plan of hoping Flagg could ascend faster to compete with a roster of veterans failed this year to warrant making big changes already.
Irving adds another star who needs the ball and typically plays the point guard position. Flagg could benefit from teaming with a future Hall of Famer to learn more from him, but the issue still comes back to this being “Cooper’s team.” Kyrie will have to agree to take a back seat and understand the team may not win for a few more seasons if he’s staying.
Flagg must get the most shots and have the biggest role on the offense next season to get the natural progression from a top overall pick. Flashes of brilliance this season gives Dallas some hope to rebuild after the horrendous Luka Doncic trade. Irving could be the odd man out as an expendable veteran.
When Could Kyrie Irving Get Traded?
The upcoming offseason remains a longshot since Irving will not have played since the previous year at the end of the 2025 season. However, some teams may be desperate to take the chance on a proven superstar guard if they are one piece away.
Dallas is most likely to start next season with Kyrie on the roster to see how he gels with Flagg. There is a chance the two Duke products develop chemistry, and Flagg wants to continue playing with Irving as his All-Star teammate.
However, most would expect the Mavericks to at least shop Kyrie offers for other young assets on Flagg’s timetable by next trade deadline. Dallas’ key driving force is to find players that can both get the best out of Flagg and develop chemistry for many more years. Irving unfortunately doesn’t fit the Flagg timetable for the overall big picture.