The Dallas Mavericks have a revamped front office and plenty of moves to make this offseason, and they could ship Kyrie Irving to an Eastern Conference contender.
After a dominant showing in his rookie season, the top priority for the Dallas Mavericks is to get as much young talent around Cooper Flagg as possible. The Mavs will pick ninth overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, so landing a top-tier talent is not a guarantee.
However, armed with a new front office featuring Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz, the Mavericks now have two aggressive, forward-thinking executives calling the shots.
Armed with trade assets like Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks are not expected to sit still this offseason. Most signs point to Dallas waiting to see how Irving plays with Flagg before they make a final decision on the veteran, although if a team is willing to overpay, don't expect the Mavs to think twice.
One Eastern Conference contender could see Irving as the missing piece.
Mavs Urged to Send Irving to Pistons
In 2023, the Mavericks traded Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and a first-round pick for Irving, pairing him in the backcourt with Luka Doncic. A year later, the Mavericks were in the NBA Finals.
Doncic is an oversized, do-all point guard, but getting him a second ball handler and shooter paid dividends. With Doncic now paired with Austin Reaves and LeBron James, the Detroit Pistons should have Irving on their radar, especially since Cade Cunningham plays a similar brand of basketball to Doncic.
"By the end of their postseason run, it was as clear as ever that the Pistons need more help on the offensive end," wrote FanSided's Jack Simone. "Doncic and Irving went to the NBA Finals together. Who’s to say that Cunningham, Irving, and a team with even better depth than those Mavericks couldn’t do the same?"
Solid role-players surround Cunningham, although Detroit doesn't really have a co-star, even with Jalen Duren making the All-Star Game this year. Irving would provide Cunningham with some relief, as well as a veteran presence Detroit could turn to in the crunch time of a playoff matchup.
Simone suggested the Mavericks take on Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, and "the necessary" draft picks in exchange for Irving. That would give Dallas some improved shooting and would open up the starting point guard spot for a youngster, either someone they drafted or Ryan Nembhard.
Maybe Dallas could even talk the Pistons into giving up Daniss Jenkins, who broke out as a quality point guard this season while on a two-way contract, and is only 24 years old.
While pairing Irving with Flagg would make for fun basketball, unless Ujiri and Schmitz think that's a recipe for long-term success, expect the veteran to be shipped out before the February trade deadline.
