Kyrie Irving trade buzz has been floating around the league, but Marc Stein says Dallas isn’t entertaining it at all.
The NBA insider pushed back hard on the idea that the Mavericks are weighing a move for the 34-year-old guard, saying the chatter is coming more from outside noise than from anything real. Stein said the Mavericks have been firm since June that Irving is not available, and that teams can call if they want - Dallas still won’t budge.
“The Kyrie Irving talk to me is so bizarre. I’ve been writing about this since June.
June is when the Mavs started telling teams Kyrie Irving is not available,” NBA insider Marc Stein reported. “You can call for him; we are not making him available.”
He also said the recent wave of speculation doesn’t line up with how the Mavericks’ season has started.
“But in the past few days, the external chatter, more like the media chatter, which is not really based on some real conversations, but like the media speculation and chatter about a Kyrie trade, has increased, and I’m like, ‘guys, the Mavs are 4-2. If they were 1-5 or even 2-4, I guess maybe then you could understand,'” he said.
“But things have gone so well early, and the Mavs have consistently told teams they don’t even want to field your call on Kyrie Irving,” Stein concluded.
The rumors have gained traction because Irving is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, and that naturally puts him on the radar in trade talk. ESPN’s Shams Charania recently reported that the Miami Heat were expected to be among several teams watching Irving.
Still, Stein’s reporting points in the opposite direction: Dallas does not appear interested in opening the door, even for discussions.
Irving has also made it clear he wants to remain with the Mavericks instead of heading into free agency next summer. That leaves the front office in a familiar spot - unless a team comes with an offer too good to ignore, Dallas seems likely to hold firm.
So far, there’s little reason for the Mavericks to feel pressure to move him. Dallas is 4-2, and Irving has been a major part of that start alongside Cooper Flagg. He’s averaging 21.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 52.7% from the field and 39.0% from beyond the arc.
The speculation around Irving also wasn’t exactly new. Much of last season was spent with his name in trade conversations until reports said the front office would not move him until it saw him on the floor with Cooper Flagg.
For now, that pairing has been working. And unless Irving signs an extension, the noise around his future probably won’t disappear anytime soon. But based on Stein’s report, Dallas isn’t looking to make this a real conversation.
In Other News...
Mavericks Just Got A Harsh Look At Life Without Kyrie
The Mavericks got a blunt reminder of how much their offense leans on Kyrie Irving in a 115-100 loss to Sacramento, a game that turned quickly once Dallas was forced to play without its lead guard. The Kings were still searching for their first win of the season and found it behind rookie Darius Acuff, who put together a lively all-around showing with 25 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Dallas had some resistance from Daniel Gafford and Walter Clayton Jr., who finished with 20 points apiece, but the night became even more difficult when Max Christie was hurt and could not return. With the Mavericks already short-handed, the injury only added to the sense that this was a game they never quite had the pieces to steady, and it leaves another layer to sort through as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Got Another Backcourt Concern They Could Not Afford
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Christie missed all of his shots in the brief outing, finishing with two rebounds, one steal and one turnover before Walter Clayton Jr. stepped in for him. For a team already trying to piece together guard minutes around other injured players, any added concern in the backcourt is one Dallas could hardly afford. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Suddenly Need Santi Aldama More Than Ever
The Mavericks shooting issues were hard to miss in their recent loss to the Kings, especially with Kyrie Irving and breakout guard Walter Clayton Jr. unavailable. Dallas leaned on a thinner offensive mix than usual and paid for it from the perimeter, where the spacing and shot-making simply were not there when the game tightened up.
Now the focus shifts to Juancho Hernangmez Aldama, whose return could give the Mavericks a needed boost in shooting, spacing and overall offensive versatility. He is still working his way back into form after knee surgery, and his status remains up in the air as Dallas waits to see whether he can help steady an attack that suddenly looks in need of another reliable floor-spacer. [Read more 🡒]