The Dallas Mavericks are entering a completely new era, and suddenly, the future of Kyrie Irving has become one of the biggest storylines in the NBA.
According to senior ESPN insider Shams Charania on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ contenders around the league are closely monitoring Irving’s situation following the shocking firing of head coach Jason Kidd.
“We’ve seen Patrick Dumont, the owner, essentially flush away anyone connected to the Mark Cuban regime. Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd, they were all brought in by Mark Cuban. Luka Doncic was a Mark Cuban guy. The only Mark Cuban guy left on that team right now is Kyrie Irving.”
“Kyrie Irving is a generational player and a generational talent. Masai Ujiri did his press conference today and said, we want to see Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg on the court together. But there’s no question there are multiple contenders around the NBA monitoring Kyrie Irving’s future with the Dallas Mavericks. Whether it’s this summer or into the season, all of that is going to play out over the course of the year. There’s no question.”
That comment says everything about where Dallas currently stands.
The Mavericks have completely reset after one of the most chaotic two-year stretches in franchise history. Just two seasons removed from reaching the 2024 NBA Finals, Dallas shockingly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that stunned the basketball world. The superstar they received in return, Anthony Davis, never became the long-term answer either, playing only 29 games across a season and a half before eventually being moved again.
Former general manager Nico Harrison and Kidd are now gone after the new president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri, took over the organization. Owner Patrick Dumont clearly wants a fresh start. And at the center of that rebuild now stands projected franchise cornerstone, Cooper Flagg.
That leaves Kyrie Irving in an interesting position.
Before suffering his devastating ACL injury during the 2024-25 season, Irving still looked like one of the best offensive guards in basketball. In 50 games, the 34-year-old averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.1% from three-point range.
He missed all of last season recovering from the injury, but contenders still view him as an elite talent capable of changing a championship race.
Irving is entering year two of his three-year, $118 million extension. He will make $39.4 million next season and also holds a $42.4 million player option afterward.
That contract structure matters because Dallas now faces a difficult question.
Do they continue building around an aging star coming off a major injury, or fully commit to a younger timeline centered around Flagg?
Charania revealed multiple contenders are already preparing in case Irving becomes available either this summer or sometime during next season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are viewed as one possible destination after Anthony Edwards openly praised Irving and reportedly pushed for the organization to pursue him. Minnesota badly needs another elite shot creator besides Edwards if they want to close the gap with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
A reunion with the Brooklyn Nets has also been floated around league circles. Irving’s first stint in Brooklyn ended badly, but the franchise now has a completely different structure and roster. Pairing Kyrie with younger talent and possibly another superstar target could become attractive.
The Los Angeles Clippers are another team being monitored. With uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard and the franchise trying to maximize its remaining championship window, Irving could emerge as a major target.
Still, Dallas is not expected to rush into moving him. The Mavericks reportedly still want to see how Irving looks alongside Flagg before making any final decisions. Masai Ujiri even publicly stated he wants to watch Kyrie and Flagg share the floor together.
