Ever since the Luka Doncic trade, the Dallas Mavericks have undergone a lot of changes. Masai Ujiri is the one who’s running the front office now. Jason Kidd is no longer the head coach after being fired, and the team is definitely building a core around Cooper Flagg.
That rebuild has one very expensive question attached to it: what happens to Kyrie Irving?
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Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season recovering from an ACL tear in his left knee. He turns 35 in March 2027, has a $39.5 million salary for next season, and no no-trade clause protecting his spot.
Going by the team’s own statement that they are focusing on the long-term with a 19-year-old, this combination makes Irving a possible trade candidate.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said it plainly on a Bleacher Report Livestream: “I don’t necessarily believe that Kyrie Irving will be on the Mavericks roster come opening night. There will be contending teams that would make trade calls to Dallas.”
That is a significant statement. Fischer is plugged in, and his read is that Dallas will at the very least listen. Multiple contenders are reportedly interested, and sources around the league believe Irving, when healthy, is still better suited for a team chasing a title right now than a team handing the keys to a freshman.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves have come up the most. They got bounced in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs and their own president of basketball operations admitted the team is not good enough right now. Irving next to Anthony Edwards is a genuinely exciting idea, even if the Wolves have very few picks left to offer Dallas.
Detroit Pistons have been mentioned too. Cade Cunningham certainly requires a secondary creator, and it is known that Irving always performs well as a second star when paired with a bigger, ball-dominant lead guard.
Money-wise it might be a fit; however, building a long-lasting roster around two costly players is definitely a concern for the Pistons.
The Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Orlando Magic have all surfaced in various reports and trade proposals too. Brooklyn would be reuniting Irving with a familiar city. Golden State is looking to retool around Stephen Curry. Orlando needs a genuine halfcourt creator after falling apart offensively in the playoffs.
Dallas, for its part, has publicly said it wants to see Irving play alongside Flagg. That is not nothing. But the Mavericks also do not control their own first-round pick until 2031, which means cashing in on Irving now is one of the few real ways to rebuild their draft capital.
The market is there. The need to move on may be too. Whether Ujiri pulls the trigger is the only thing left to figure out.
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