Dallas Mavericks Not Interested in Parting With This Injured Star

Most of the NBA trade rumors right now are about how the Dallas Mavericks could be holding a fire sale soon. They fired their GM, and reports are that they are going to be pivoting away from trying to contend now and towards contending in the future with Cooper Flagg. This means that some of their veteran pieces will need to be replaced. 

There have already been lots of murmurs about the Mavericks' plans to shop Anthony Davis around once he is healthy. But what about Kyrie Irving? He is also a veteran that contending teams would pay a pretty penny for, and his age puts him on a much different timeline than Flagg. 

However, Shams Charania of ESPN recently reported that Irving may not be as available as some may think.

"Teams are actually sniffing around Kyrie Irving: His availability on the court, potentially trade-wise, and his playing status the rest of the season. But my understanding is the Mavericks have made it clear privately that they want Kyrie Irving as a complete part of their future moving forward. He's still in recovery and rehab from that ACL tear from March. He signed a three-year deal in the offseason, but the Mavericks value his leadership on the court, off the court, and his fit with Cooper Flagg. Cooper Flagg is going to need a point guard whenever he's ready to be back out on the court, and you just see right now how much this team misses Kyrie Irving in some of these close games that they've had. And that's the difference, though, between the Kyrie Irving situation and the Anthony Davis situation. They are listening to potential trade calls on Anthony Davis, but with Kyrie Irving, they want him a part of their future moving forward."

While Irving could be a nice fit next to Flagg, there’s not really a point to keeping him around. It would be better to trade him while he still holds lots of value around the league.