Bleacher Report’s latest take on the Mavericks and Kyrie Irving misses the part that matters most: Dallas is finally building something worth keeping intact.
On November 12, Zach Buckley published “1 Overreaction To Every NBA Team’s Start” and argued that the Mavericks’ overreaction is that “the Kyrie Irving trade chatter needs to stop.” His case was that Dallas’ short window with Cooper Flagg and Irving should keep the speculation alive, and that the team ought to at least think about moving Kyrie, no matter how well he has fit next to Coop so far.
But that view skips over the bigger picture in Dallas.
The Mavericks are not stumbling through a lost season. They are 7-2 in games that Kyrie and Cooper play together, and the team has gone from being written off before the season to looking like a legitimate playoff threat. Dallas has already beaten preseason expectations, and giving Flagg playoff reps in his sophomore season would be huge for his growth.
That’s why moving Irving would be such a risky play. It would undercut a team that has a real shot to make noise right now, and it would almost certainly dent Dallas’ chances of getting into the postseason.
The standings say as much. The Mavericks are sitting at No. 8 in the Western Conference and are only 1.5 games behind the Houston Rockets for the No. 3 seed. The West is packed tightly, and Irving’s start has helped turn the Mavs from one of the league’s punchlines last season into a team people actually have to track.
Irving has been central to that shift. He’s averaging 22.9 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field, all after missing last season with a torn ACL. Dallas’ offense has jumped from No. 27 in the NBA last season to No. 12 this year, and Irving’s return has been a major reason for that leap.
His isolation scoring, 3-point shooting, and finishing around the rim have all played a part in lifting the Mavericks’ attack. That kind of production is exactly why Dallas should be holding onto him instead of testing the market before the February 11 trade deadline.
Sure, the trade talk probably isn’t going away if Irving keeps playing like this. But the Mavericks have already made it clear that the noise shouldn’t seep into the locker room. Kyrie told his teammates not to let the rumors in because of the damage they can do, and so far the attention around Dallas has been about who’s performing, not who might be dealt.
That’s the real story here. The Mavericks have a chance to make a run with Irving and Flagg leading the way, and cutting that partnership short would be a mistake. Irving has been excellent for Dallas on and off the floor since arriving in 2023, and the idea that the team should be shopping him now just doesn’t match what’s happening on the court.
In Other News...
Mavericks Suddenly Face A Max Christie Concern They Cant Ignore
Max Christie has been one of the more dependable rotation pieces for Dallas early this season, showing up in 11 of 12 games and giving the Mavericks a steady presence on the wing. His modest scoring numbers have still come with useful all-around production, including 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, which is the kind of secondary contribution this roster leans on when the offense gets stretched thin.
Now the Mavericks have to monitor his status closely heading into the Cleveland Cavaliers matchup, with Christie dealing with an ankle issue that could put him on the injury report at the wrong time. If he cannot go, it would only be the second game he has missed this season, a small sample that still underscores how quickly a nagging injury can complicate a teams plans when a role player has quietly become part of the nightly structure. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Have A Roster Problem They Cant Keep Ignoring
The loss to Minnesota was another reminder that Dallas can survive a quiet night from one star only if the rest of the offense picks up the slack. Instead, Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving were both limited, and the Mavericks again leaned on a supporting cast that has flashed scoring punch in bursts but not with any real consistency. At 7-5, the record is still respectable, but the pattern is becoming hard to ignore for a team trying to build something sturdier around its top two names.
Several role players have had their moments with 20-point outbursts, yet none has settled into the dependable third option Dallas needs from night to night. That is what makes the conversation around the roster feel so pointed now, because this is less about one bad game and more about whether the Mavericks have enough reliable offense when the stars are contained. If that answer keeps coming back no, the front office may have to start looking outside the room for a fix. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Face A Dangerous Trade Temptation In Search Of Scoring
The Mavericks keep running into the same problem: finding a reliable third scorer to ease the burden on Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. That search naturally sends attention toward the trade market, and Dejounte Murray has emerged as a name worth watching after his situation in New Orleans changed. On paper, he brings the kind of shot creation Dallas could use, especially if the front office is looking for another perimeter creator to stabilize the offense.
But Murray is also the kind of swing that can backfire if the fit is wrong. His contract is hefty, his injury history adds risk, and his shooting limitations raise real questions about how cleanly he would mesh with the Mavericks' roster and timeline. For a team trying to solve a scoring issue without creating a new roster problem, that makes him a tempting target on the surface and a complicated one underneath. [Read more 🡒]