While a knee injury destroyed Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving’s season, it did not stop the belief that he remains an elite guard. Irving last played on March 3, 2025, with a 7-point effort in a loss against the Sacramento Kings. He missed the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign and the next season.
Despite this, murmurs of trade rumors surrounding his name continue to swirl. With new management in place, the Mavericks’ front office could face an important decision. One insider believes that choice could surprise fans.
NBA Insider Believes the Dallas Mavericks Will Not Trade Guard Kyrie Irving
Without Irving, the Mavericks drafted Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick. The team finished with a 26-56 record, good enough for 12th in the Western Conference. Flagg won the Rookie of the Year Award, averaging 21 points per game.
The rookie logged 70 games, playing 33.5 minutes per night. Now, as Irving returns, will the Mavericks keep the veteran guard? ESPN NBA insider Marc Spears sees Irving staying in Dallas.
“I do think he’ll be back on the roster. I know their owner is really, really high on seeing him and Cooper Flagg play together. And then Masai Ujiri had said in his introductory press conference that he wanted to see that as well.”
Ujiri took over as team president in May, replacing Nico Harrison. As Spears mentioned, he did not mince words when asked about Irving at his introductory press conference.
“Kyrie Irving is one of the best players, and I know he’s the best ball handler in the game. His experience. He’s a championship player,” Ujiri said.
Irving hit the game-winning shot to give the Cleveland Cavaliers their first and, to this point, only NBA title, defeating the Golden State Warriors in 2016. The new Mavericks president articulated how he envisions the meshing of Flagg and Irving.
“I’m excited to see that, we all are. His injury was unfortunate, but I know he’s moved past that. I think it’s going to be pretty cool, and I know it’s going to help Cooper, because Kyrie likes to play off the ball too, and this is going to be interesting for us,” Ujiri said.
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While Irving’s ability to facilitate and run an offense remains crucial to team success, he can also flow, creating daylight to catch passes and score. In essence, Dallas can roll out two players capable of leading with the ball or becoming willing targets of passes, with the ability to finish.
The Mavericks own the No. 9, No. 30, and No. 48 picks in the NBA draft, which starts on June 23.
