Why the Mavericks Refuse to Trade Kyrie Irving Despite Interest From Multiple Contenders
Kyrie Irving is not going anywhere.
The Dallas Mavericks are continuing to rebuff trade calls on the 34-year-old point guard, according to multiple reports out of the offseason. There has been interest from around the league, most notably from the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron James is even reportedly pushing his new suitors to line up a trade for Irving now that he is settled in Philadelphia.
The Mavericks are simply not entertaining any of it. New team president Masai Ujiri has already made clear he wants to see Irving on the floor next season alongside Cooper Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year and the franchise’s brightest young building block.
That is the answer. That is why Dallas is not moving him.
Irving spent all of 2025-26 recovering from ACL surgery he underwent in late March 2025. When healthy, he is still one of the most difficult perimeter scorers in basketball, and he showed real growth as a floor leader in his last full season with Dallas. Pairing that skill set with Flagg gives the Mavericks something unique. A rare on-ball engine paired with a 20-year-old wing who does everything.
Trading Irving for expiring contracts and picks would be a nod to a full teardown that Dallas is not ready to do. They are not the Utah Jazz. They just brought in Ujiri to build a sustainable contender, not to burn everything down in year one.
The other reason to keep Kyrie is a lot less romantic. His value on the trade market is capped. He is coming off a full year missed with an ACL rehab, he has a big salary, and he turns 35 during the season. Any team trading meaningful assets for him is doing so with a whole list of risk assumptions. The best case scenario is that Irving looks like his old self by December and Dallas rides the year out with a rebuilt starting five.
There is also the LeBron piece, which cannot be ignored. James publicly loved playing with Kyrie in Cleveland, and reports say he is pushing behind the scenes for a reunion. Whether it is Philadelphia trying to make a run at Irving next year or another team getting nudged, that pressure is not going to go away. The Mavericks front office has to keep answering the same question all season.
For now the answer is a firm no. Dallas is banking on health, chemistry with Flagg, and the value of continuity to prove them right. If Irving has a strong year and stays on the floor, this could look like the smartest decision the front office made all offseason.
If he does not, the trade calls will only get louder.
Either way, opening night in Dallas is going to be must-watch. Nine-time All-Star point guard, generational rookie, and one very interesting question hanging over the season.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
