Kevin Durant nearly became a Dallas Maverick. That’s according to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, who reported on Thursday that the Suns fielded multiple trade calls for Durant at the deadline—including one from the Mavericks. While talks didn’t materialize into a deal, Robinson claims it could have gone much further had Kyrie Irving not suffered a season-ending injury.
“The Suns were taking phone calls from other teams that were calling at the deadline,” said NBA Insider Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on the ‘HBCU’ podcast. “Those teams included Dallas, the Washington Wizards, and the Golden State Warriors. Just talking to people across the league, I got the sense that had Kyrie Irving not injured his knee, torn his ACL, we might be having another conversation about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as members of the Dallas Mavericks.”
Despite averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season, Durant failed to lead the Suns to prosperity in the Western Conference. Their failure led Durant to become the summer’s hottest trade target, and the Mavericks might have pulled off the trade had Kyrie Irving not torn his ACL in March.
“In fact, that Kyrie Irving injury really was the Achilles heel as to why KD did not find a way to the Dallas Mavericks even though the Mavericks were calling.”
Durant’s history with Irving goes back to the 2019-20 season, the start of their tenure as teammates. Together, they led the Nets to prominence in the East and formed one of the most lethal offensive duos in the sport. Besides great chemistry on the court, Durant and Irving developed a close bond that persists even today.
Unfortunately, their time as teammates can only be described as a disaster, given that the Nets only won one playoff series under their leadership. When they finally parted ways in February of 2023, nobody ever imagined they’d work together again.
And yet, according to Scoop, they nearly ran it back this summer for a reunion in Dallas. With Durant, Irving, and Anthony Davis, the Mavericks could have been favorites in the West and would have been in a nice position to justify their Luka Doncic trade.
It was a dream scenario for the Mavericks that ultimately ended when Irving suffered a season-ending ACL tear. That injury did more than just derail the Mavericks’ season; it also erased the opportunity to build a potential superteam with some of the best NBA veterans in the sport.
On the Rockets, Durant will have one last chance to make amends for his mistakes, but he won’t have Irving by his side to help set the culture he envisions. Instead, he’ll have to rely on a young and unproven core featuring Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
It’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been. A healthy Kyrie might have been the key to reuniting one of the NBA’s most electric duos and creating a new powerhouse in Dallas. Instead, the dream dissolved before it ever got off the ground. For Durant, a new chapter begins in Houston. For the Mavs, it’s just another reminder of how quickly opportunity can slip away in the NBA.
