Kyrie Irving Trade Truly on the Cards as Mavericks President Exploring Options, Per Insider

Dusty May walked out of a summer gym and said he was blown away. Michael Porter Jr., after a pickup run with a guy 19 months removed from a torn ACL, said: “That dude was so cold.” That version of Kyrie Irving is the one contenders still want, and the reason Dallas’ new president has not been able to kill the trade talk.

Teams remain intrigued by how, or if, Kyrie Irving fits the Dallas Mavericks’ long-term plans. And he would be a prime deadline target if Masai Ujiri is willing to engage, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein.

"Teams are intrigued by how, or if, Irving fits in the Dallas Mavericks' long-term plans. [Kyrie] could be a prime target for contenders before the trade deadline if Masai Ujiri is willing to engage in those discussions." MacMahon said.

Dallas has swatted away interest since mid-June. Rival front offices are still waiting to see whether that answer holds once the season starts and the Feb. 11 deadline comes into view.

Ujiri has not put Irving on the block. He has also not called him untouchable forever. “Kevin Durant once told me, ‘There is only one Kyrie walking around in the world,’” Ujiri said after taking the job. “I think we have to figure out how Kyrie fits with our program… There’s a huge curiosity in our minds to see how Kyrie fits playing with Cooper Flagg.”

Minnesota and Detroit already checked in. Cleveland’s LeBron-linked inquiry was rebuffed. The official line is still that he is not for sale. The unofficial line from the league is: ask again in January.

Irving is 34 and has not played since tearing his left ACL on March 3, 2025. Flagg is 19 and the franchise cornerstone. Irving is owed about $39.5 million this season with a $42.4 million player option for 2027-28.

Keep him, and he can take creation off Flagg’s plate. Trade him, and Dallas can get assets on a young clock Ujiri was hired to protect.

Kyrie Irving’s Return Could Raise, or Reset His Trade Value

The Mavericks’ current plan is the opposite of a fire sale. They want games. They want to see the pairing they never got last season. May already compared Irving’s skill to “watching Picasso paint.”

Irving told a Twitch stream he is “close to being over at 100%.” If that holds in October, his stock stops being “injury-discount veteran” and becomes “rental closer for a contender.” That is when Ujiri exploring options stops being background noise.

A Western Conference executive recently talked about the market in blunt terms: pay him $40 million this year, see if he is still a 24-point guard, then a first-round pick becomes realistic.

Especially if there is a handshake on the option year. Until Irving plays, Dallas would be selling low. That is why the front office has kept saying no.

Ujiri did not take this job to rubber-stamp the old roster. He took it after the Luka Doncic trade wrecked the last window and Cooper Flagg became the new one.

Kyrie Irving is still in the building because the president wants to see the fit with his own eyes. If the fit is real, the nine-time All-Star stays and mentors the kid. The trade is not done. It is on the cards the moment Masai Ujiri decides the curiosity has been answered.