Kyrie Irving has been a mainstay with the Mavericks since being traded to the team. But could it be time to complete the cycle and trade him out of Dallas?
As the Cooper Flagg era is set to get into full swing, the Dallas Mavericks are faced with the challenge of giving the generational young talent the pieces necessary to return the team to the top of the NBA.
For a squad that looks nearly unrecognizable from the one that made a trip to the NBA Finals just three seasons ago, one core member has remained. Kyrie Irving bounced around the association after departing his longtime home with the Cleveland Cavaliers but has meshed well with the Mavs since a trade sent him to Dallas.
Despite the efforts Irving has given the franchise, could it be time for the pair to move on?
Irving provides Dallas a solid offensive avenue alongside Flagg and his experience could do wonders for the development of the already stellar player. However, he is now 34 years old and coming off a disastrous ACL injury that kept him off the court to end last season.
With Flagg notching NBA Rookie of the Year honors and scoring like a seasoned veteran, it could benefit the Mavs to prioritize defense and role players to supplement his skillset while capitalizing on youth, similarly to the cross-state Spurs.
One trade concept cooked up by ESPN seems to achieve both.
This proposal sees Irving heading back to the Eastern Conference and landing with the Detroit Pistons, while they send over three prospects and a 2026 first-round draft pick to the Mavericks.
These three former Pistons included in the deal would be Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Ron Holland. And that first-rounder is set at No. 21 in the upcoming draft.
Detroit surged to the top of the Eastern Conference after years of struggling to find its way following the franchise's renaissance in the early 2000s. Although the Pistons earned long-awaited success, they ultimately came up short of returning all the way back to the pinnacle of a championship.
It remains to be seen if Detroit even wants to test the trade market, but it could benefit from an Irving-like piece for its young corps looking to take the next step. While the move makes sense for the Pistons, what would Dallas get out of it?
Stewart and Holland are both downgrades to the scoring opportunities given by Irving, to be fair, not many players in the NBA can provide that. However, the pair provide defensive prowess that was paramount to the Pistons' ability to turn things around this past year. Not to mention, they are both younger than the nearly 35-year-old Irving.
LaVert is less of a factor although he could be a solid bench piece if Dallas chooses to keep him rostered after the hypothetical move. Not to mention, that No. 21-overall pick would give the Mavs two chances to rack up talent from this year's draft class.
The biggest question mark that remains for this mock trade or any other that includes Irving is how pivotal to the future of the franchise he is viewed. New Mavs President Masai Ujiri had glowing remarks for the veteran guard and seemed optimistic about the role he can play for the team.
While it seems too early to know the fate of Irving in Dallas, the rationale behind this potential move could play a role in the decision to move on and signal which teams are in the running to land a deal, whether it be Detroit or elsewhere.
