LeBron James’ next move may hinge on a name that keeps circling back into the conversation: Kyrie Irving.
James has already told the Los Angeles Lakers he won’t be returning, and the list of possible landing spots has included the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors. For a while, it looked as if a decision was getting close.
Now, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports, the delay may be tied to whether one of James’ preferred teams can somehow swing a trade for Irving.
“The popular theory around the league is that LeBron has been slow-playing his decision to see if any of his suitors could find a way to land [Kyrie] Irving or [Anthony] Davis,” O’Connor wrote. “If a team proved capable of acquiring one of his championship teammates, sources say, it might sway him in that direction.”
The fit is tricky almost everywhere. Miami needs help in the backcourt, but doesn’t appear to have the assets or contracts to chase Irving.
Cleveland is expected to re-sign James Harden. Philadelphia already has Tyrese Maxey.
Golden State has Stephen Curry.
That makes the list of realistic Irving paths look awfully thin. The Warriors could theoretically explore a Jimmy Butler-for-Irving swap, but it would be difficult to get Dallas to take on that contract. And the idea of James and Irving ending up together in Golden State would be a strange one.
Cleveland could also pursue Irving if Harden doesn’t return, though the source material suggests the Cavaliers likely wouldn’t have anything the Mavericks would want in a deal.
For now, Dallas still isn’t showing any interest in moving Irving. Even if Irving were to push for a change himself, the Mavericks appear committed to keeping him. The source says Masai Ujiri would make the best decision for the franchise and believes pairing Irving with Cooper Flagg will pay off over time.
There’s also a clear sense inside the building that Irving is valued. New head coach Dusty May compared him to a Picasso painting, and Irving reportedly feels comfortable in Dallas. There had been buzz that he might want to recruit James to Dallas, but the Mavericks are likely not close enough to contention for that to make much sense.
In Other News...
Mavericks Rookie Morez Johnson Jr. Just Drew A Concerning Summer Label
Morez Johnson Jr. gave Dallas plenty to think about early in Summer League, flashing the kind of two-way energy that can make a rookie stand out even in a short sample. The Mavericks 2026 first-round pick opened with a big scoring burst and a pile of defensive activity, then followed it with a quieter scoring night but still found ways to impact the game with rebounds, steals and blocks.
The uneven showing was enough for one national evaluation to put a concerning label on his Summer League run, which is a reminder of how quickly perceptions can shift in July. For Dallas, though, the broader picture still matters more than the shorthand, because Johnsons path this season appears tied to how well he fits next to Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving when the games count for real. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Shooting Problem May Finally Have The Answer Fans Wanted
The Mavericks 3-point issues were hard to miss last season, when the offense spent too much time fighting for clean looks and too often settled for the wrong ones. Dallas finished in the bottom five in both accuracy and volume from deep, a problem that lingered even as the roster tried to find a more reliable rhythm around its core.
Kyrie Irvings expected return gives the Mavericks a different kind of answer, one built on shot-making that has long been part of his reputation. Bleacher Report recently put him No. 12 on its list of the NBAs best shooters of all time, and Dallas has also spent the offseason adding more shooting around Irving and Cooper Flagg, hoping the combination finally gives the team the spacing it lacked. [Read more 🡒]