Mavs' Kyrie Irving Still Creates Trade 'Wonder' From Interested Teams

Though the roster looks much different than the year before, the Dallas Mavericks are entering the 2026-27 season with a familiar agenda.

There is internal belief that the team can compete for a play-in spot in the Western Conference, especially under a new regime that has already impacted how the team will look on the floor.

But if push comes to shove, the Mavs know there is a "blow it up" plan for when February's trade deadline comes along.

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Dallas wanted to experiment with top rookie Cooper Flagg and star forward Anthony Davis. The wins didn't come early in the year (and Davis' unavailability remained a problem), so the big man was traded at the deadline.

Fast forward to the upcoming season, Kyrie Irving is the next aging star that is paired with Flagg. If the Mavs don't get off to the start they want, it's hard to ignore the possibility of Irving, and maybe others, getting sent on their way to initiate a rebuild around the teenager in Dallas.

This plan won't be in the Mavs' line of sight until the season gets into full swing, but a recent report from insider Marc Stein confirms that teams will remain interested in the All-Star point guard.

"The Mavericks, as we've been writing since mid-June, have consistently swatted away trade interest this offseason in nine-times-an-All-Star guard Kyrie Irving," writes Stein on The Stein Line.

"Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches. The primary factor fueling that curiosity, of course, is that fact that Irving is 34 and Mavericks star forward Cooper Flagg is 19. Not your average age gap between the team's two best players."

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So, what would cause Irving to get traded?

There are several factors in play. First and arguably the most obvious is how well he has meshed with Flagg, as the two will be playing with one another for the first time after Irving missed all of last season rehabbing a torn ACL from March 2025.

Secondly, what is the team's record? In a loaded West, do the Mavs have a legitimate shot at playing postseason basketball?

Davis was traded on Feb. 5, just before the Mavs lost their sixth game in a row and were struggling to a record of 19-32. That losing streak would then stretch to 10 games, a season high.

From there, it was clear that a playoff berth had hardly any likelihood. The Mavs also were approaching their final first-round draft pick for the next decade, so there might have been intention to shoot for good odds in the lottery.

Things could be different this season, but it all weighs on the team's early-season performance and year-long potential.

And by the sound of it, as long as the 16-year pro is playing well, Irving will continue to receive trade interest from across the market.