Insider Reveals Personal Chat With Kyrie Irving as Trade Rumors Take a New Turn

The season is only a couple of weeks old, but the Kyrie Irving trade talk is already loud. So far, it’s mostly been about where he could go and what the Dallas Mavericks could get back. Now, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has added a new angle: the Mavericks may not want to move him at all.

MacMahon says Irving is the hottest topic when he talks to people around the league. “When I’m talking to executives and scouts around the league, when the Mavericks come up, it’s the No. 1 thing people are asking me about,” he said on The Hoop Collective.

But his own view on Irving has changed since the season started.

“Going into this season, I would’ve said more likely than not he gets moved by the deadline, but I didn’t feel super strongly about it,” MacMahon said. “The more I see the team, the more I’m around the team, the more I think it’s going to be awfully hard to trade him. Not that there won’t be a big market; there will be. But if they’ve got a chance to compete for a play-in, playoff spot, I just think it’s going to be really tough to move Kyrie.”

The nine-time All-Star missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in March 2025, and at 34, he’s averaging 21.4 points, 4.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds through five games, with the Mavericks off to a 4-2 start. Many assumed he didn’t fit a timeline built around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, but MacMahon says the pairing is exactly why moving him is hard.

“Also, as much as he means to that locker room, as well as he's working with Cooper. It was beautiful basketball, they are a phenomenal fit,” he added.

And mind you, this isn’t just what MacMahon personally thinks or believes. The prominent ESPN personnel claimed that he talked with Irving regarding this matter, and the player has expressed comfort about his current situation in Dallas.

“I talked to Kyrie a little bit then tonight, just walking out, and, Cooper being this good and this comfortable, like bringing the ball up the floor, initially and off and all that, it takes a lot of pressure off him, and it takes a lot of strain off him,” MacMahon added. “And like Kyrie, I think he is very, very happy and comfortable with his situation in Dallas. It doesn't mean, you know, he doesn't get to necessarily decide whether he's going to. But I'm just telling you, he's very, very comfortable.”

And that comfort reflects in the games. With Flagg often bringing the ball up and running the offense, Irving doesn’t have to create everything himself. Also, Flagg, who carried most of the load as a rookie last season, now has one of the best shot creators playing with him.

Both have come up clutch late in games. Flagg took over the fourth quarter in a win at Miami, and Irving scored 35 points, including a big fourth quarter, in a win over Houston.

There’s also the value of having a veteran like Irving around a 19-year-old star.

So, the topic has now finally turned from “where can Irving land” to “will the Mavs actually trade Irving.” And we wait for the February 11 deadline to get the answers.