A seismic trade sends Irving to Miami, clearing a path for Tyler Herro and Cooper Flagg to ignite the Mavericks' youthful future.
DALLAS - At times it seems the Dallas Mavericks are a great distance away from being good again, and that therefore counting on the rehabbing Kyrie Irving, who turns 34 this month, to be part of the future fix is asking too much.
So what if Dallas trades Kyrie?
One concept comes to us from our friends at DallasHoopsJournal, where this offseason idea is being suggested:
The Miami Heat get Kyrie in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and a future first-round (2031) pick swap.
This move, if it could happens, would make the Mavericks' future brighter, maybe ... but younger for sure as the club works to build around teenage rising star Cooper Flagg.
Flagg, the 19-year-old sensation out of Duke, was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. There was a time when the Mavericks harbored hopes that Flagg plus Anthony Davis plus pairing with veteran point guard Irving would be the foundation of the contender.
But AD is gone, trade-dumped to Washington.
And Irving is out for the year with a torn ACL.
Things have changed. Should they change again?
Herro (averaging 21 points per game) would help Dallas and he's a 26-year-old who can score. Jaquez Jr. is a 25-year-old with potential.
Would the Heat be best-served with the idea of a trade that pairs Irving with Bam Adebayo? One that essentially clears a path for Kyrie to feed Bam (with help from Andrew Wiggins)?
That would be the Mavericks' pitch here.
Younger isn't always better, and a pairing of Flagg with Irving is alluring in its own way as well. But there are some crossroads decisions that must be made about age and timelines and realities.
Is there more promise - long-term promise - with Flagg and Herro teamming up? That's the sort of question the Mavs franchise should be ready to wrestle with.