Multiple contenders are monitoring Kyrie Irving’s situation in Dallas, and the assumption around the league is that the Mavericks may be ready to move him. There is no public commitment from the Mavericks front office, but the logic is hard to argue with after the Luka Doncic trade reset the franchise’s direction.
Dallas dealt Doncic last season, a move that shocked the league and signaled the start of a roster reorientation. Keeping Irving on the books after moving the cornerstone of the franchise has always felt like a temporary state. Kyrie is 33, he has a player option on his current contract, and his game is no longer aging the way some had hoped.
He is still a brilliant offensive player. He averaged just under 25 points and shot above 39 percent from three last season, the kind of numbers that any contender would happily add to their starting lineup. The issue is fit. Kyrie has historically needed the ball, and the teams most interested in adding him also have established point guards who already need the ball.
The Knicks have come up as a potential landing spot, though Mike Brown’s offense already runs through Jalen Brunson and the addition would have meaningful integration challenges. The Warriors have always had interest in Kyrie dating back to the original Kevin Durant-era flirtation, but the Warriors’ books are tight. The Heat have been monitoring, though they are also reportedly chasing Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What the Mavericks would want in return is the harder question. Kyrie has obvious trade value, but Dallas already started the rebuild with the Doncic deal. The Mavericks are not yet ready to be a contender. Trading Kyrie for a package built around future draft picks and young players makes sense. Trading him for an established veteran would suggest Dallas is trying to win in 2026-27, and the roster is not constructed to do that.
The smart bet is something happens before training camp. Either Kyrie picks up his option and gets traded, or he declines and signs elsewhere on the free agent market. Either way, the Mavericks are going into the 2026-27 season without him on the roster, and that is the most stunning aspect of how quickly the franchise has changed.
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.
