Mavs Trade of Kyrie Irving? 'Makes Sense,' Predicts NBA Analyst

Kyrie Irving is the Dallas Mavericks player who should be traded this season, according to a 30-team list Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley published Friday.

Buckley chose one name per franchise. The Dallas entry ran the same day the Mavericks opened the preseason against the Houston Rockets in Macao, China.

Buckley allowed that Irving and Cooper Flagg could work on the court together.

"The Mavericks have a 19-year-old centerpiece in Cooper Flagg," Buckley wrote. "So, forgive the basketball world for doubting Dallas' insistence that it still has a need for Irving, a 34-year-old who just lost a full season to an ACL recovery."

"Suitors are surfacing already, and this season hasn't even tipped yet," Buckley continued. "Irving could be a great on-court fit with Flagg, and it would still make sense for Dallas, which doesn't control its first-round pick until 2031, to explore deals that swap out Irving for younger players, draft assets or a combination of the two."

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025, and has not played in an NBA game since. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 50 games that season, then sat out all of 2025-26.

He has been a healthy participant in training camp. Irving credited his teammates, coaches, and the organization for getting him through the rehab when he spoke during camp.

"Personally, it's just getting out of my own way and the mental aspect of it," Irving said. "Being back on the floor, putting the uniform back on, hearing my name being called. It feels like it's been a distant memory. It's been a year and some change."

"I do feel like a kid in the candy store a little bit just waiting for my opportunity to show my stuff," Irving continued. "But I know I can't do that without my teammates being alongside me, the coaching staff believing in me and the whole franchise giving me the confidence as well. This wasn't a solo job. I did a lot of work in the gym, a lot of work in the weight room, but I needed a lot of support throughout this whole journey, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually."

Before camp opened, Irving organized a players-only minicamp in California. Roundtable's Aiden Kauffman wrote on Sept. 25 about how Irving can silence the trade rumors.

His salary this season is $39,491,282. A $42,416,562 player option for 2027-28 closes out the three-year, $118,473,846 deal he signed in the summer of 2025 after turning down a $43 million player option.

Irving is a nine-time All-Star. He won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and came to Dallas from Brooklyn in February 2023, a trade that cost the Mavericks Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and two second-round picks.

The 2026 draft was the last time Dallas controlled its own first-round pick until 2031. Charlotte holds the 2027 first unless it lands in the top two, a condition tied to the P.J. Washington trade. Oklahoma City has swap rights on the 2028 pick, and San Antonio has them in 2030.

Flagg won Rookie of the Year last season. He turns 20 in December.

Six newcomers, three of them rookies, replaced seven players from last season's roster. Dallas took Morez Johnson Jr. ninth overall in June, and Marcus Sasser and first-round rookie Sergio de Larrea are behind Irving at point guard. Center Dereck Lively II is working back from two foot surgeries in the past year.

Masai Ujiri runs the front office as president of basketball operations, with Mike Schmitz as general manager, both new to Dallas this season. Dusty May is in his first season as an NBA head coach, and he has said he has "no idea" what the starting lineup will be.

Dallas plays at Houston on Oct. 21 to open the regular season. The league put 21 Mavericks games on national television.

The Mavericks went 26-56 last season.