The Mavericks are heading toward the trade deadline with one of the league’s biggest questions hanging over them: what happens with Kyrie Irving?
Dallas has started 7-4 in a crowded Western Conference, and that alone makes the coming months tricky. Every night feels like a test, and Irving has made it clear he’s trying to keep the focus inside the locker room rather than on the noise outside it.
“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.”
Even with that mindset, Irving’s long-term future in Dallas is still up in the air. Around the league, he’s viewed as one of the most prominent names who could hit the trade market.
“I think he’s going to be the most in-demand player at the trade deadline because he’s not on the Mavericks’ timeline. And we talked about Houston. I think Detroit’s another team that will be salivating over getting Kyrie Irving,” Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said.
At the same time, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed to the wave of injuries across the Western Conference as a reason Dallas may hesitate to move him. With the West changing quickly, the Mavericks could decide Irving is too valuable to part with if they believe a playoff push is realistic.
“Dallas is a team that you know, again, at the start of the season you’re like, when/ if they’re trading Kyrie? Now, you look at what’s happened to the West, Minnesota injuries, Oklahoma City injuries, you’re like, uh I don’t know,” Windhorst said.
There’s also the possibility that Dallas sees Irving as more than just a trade chip. His presence matters as a veteran voice for the younger players, and the Mavericks would prefer to keep him if the right path opens up. But if another team comes with an offer too good to pass up, Dallas may be forced to rethink everything.
For now, the Mavericks appear set to keep weighing the situation as the first half of the season unfolds. The decision on Irving is still coming, and it could shape everything that follows.
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