The chatter around Kyrie Irving isn’t going away, but inside the Mavericks’ locker room, the message sounds a lot simpler: keep working, keep building, and don’t get dragged into the noise.
Dallas has opened the season in solid shape while still sorting through what its roster should look like moving forward, and Irving’s future keeps sitting at the center of that conversation. The reason is obvious enough. The Mavericks’ two top players are at very different stages of their careers, with a 15-year age gap between Irving and Cooper Flagg.
That difference has fueled plenty of outside speculation all summer. As Marc Stein wrote, “The Mavericks, as we've been writing since mid-June, have consistently swatted away trade interest this offseason in nine-times-an-All-Star guard Kyrie Irving.
Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches. The primary factor fueling that curiosity, of course, is that fact that Irving is 34 and Mavericks star forward Cooper Flagg is 19.
Not your average age gap between the team's two best players."
There’s also been talk that if a move ever did become realistic, Irving would have a say in where things go. NBA insider Marc Spears pointed to the relationship angle and said, “Masai also has a really good relationship as you mentioned with Kyrie Irving.
I think it's the kind of relationship where if Kyrie says, hey, Masai, like, this isn't for me, I think they could work together to get something done. I don't think would be something ugly.
I think there would be interest in Kyrie if he's as healthy as he looks," Spears said.
Irving, though, says he and Flagg are tuning out the speculation and staying locked in on what they can control.
“We are still growing,” Irving said. “We still have a level we want to get to - a higher level.
We are going to continue to push each other. We obviously know the external chatter as well and the 15-year age gap and what we are going to accomplish and how we are going to mesh.
I think we threw all that out the window and just really focused on what we can control, which is our effort and how we treat each other.”
For now, that’s the story in Dallas: the two are working to build chemistry instead of worrying about what might happen later. If the Mavericks keep performing at this level, there may not be much reason to revisit the trade talk at all.
Still, Irving is the biggest trade chip Dallas has if the front office ever decides to change course. And while that question lingers, Irving and Flagg are continuing to grow together, with the possibility of a playoff run giving them a chance to deepen that connection on the floor.
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Kyrie Irving's Hot Start Just Raised Dallas' Biggest Deadline Dilemma
Kyrie Irvings strong start has only sharpened the conversation around what the Mavericks do next. He has said he is committed to Dallas despite the trade chatter, and for now he remains one of the key pieces in the teams backcourt, giving the offense a level of shot-making and late-clock security that is hard to replace. But with his long-term future still unclear, every bit of production only seems to add to the sense that Dallas is sitting on a complicated decision rather than a simple one.
Around the league, Irving is viewed as the kind of player who could draw serious interest if the Mavericks decide to listen before the deadline. The appeal is obvious: a proven scorer, a high-end creator and a name that would instantly change a contenders outlook. For Dallas, the real question is whether the value of keeping him for a playoff push outweighs the possibility of getting a major return if the right offer comes along. [Read more 🡒]