The Dallas Mavericks have a problem most NBA teams would envy: their rookie sensation, Cooper Flagg, is already a star. But the guy who was supposed to be his backcourt partner, Kyrie Irving, spent the entire season on the sideline recovering from an ACL tear. And now, as the rumor mill churns, the Mavericks are shutting down trade talks before they even start.
According to a report from NBA insider Jake Fischer on Substack, multiple teams — including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Brooklyn Nets — have expressed serious interest in acquiring Irving this offseason. On paper, it makes sense. Irving is a proven playoff performer with elite off-the-dribble creation, exactly the kind of veteran presence young rosters like Minnesota and Detroit desperately need after early postseason exits exposed their inexperience.
But here’s the catch: Dallas is telling inquiring teams that Irving is not currently available via trade, per Fischer. The nine-time All-Star, who turns 33 next season, is being kept off the market, at least for now. The Mavericks appear determined to see what a healthy Irving looks like alongside Flagg before considering any offers.
That stance got a lot more concrete when Masai Ujiri was recently installed as the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations. Ujiri has publicly expressed confidence in the Flagg-Irving pairing, signaling that the franchise wants to give the duo a real chance to gel. For a team that endured a brutal season — finishing near the bottom of the standings despite Flagg’s individual brilliance — it’s a gamble worth taking.
Of course, Irving’s injury history and the fact that he hasn’t played a single minute with Flagg raise legitimate questions. Can the two coexist? Will Irving’s timeline align with Flagg’s rapid development? And what happens if Dallas starts next season slow?
Those are questions for later. Right now, the Mavericks are holding their ground. The Timberwolves, Pistons, and Nets may be circling, but they’ll have to wait — or look elsewhere — for the playmaking upgrade they’re after. For Dallas, the priority is clear: see what you’ve got before you give it away.
As one rival executive told Fischer, the interest is real. So is Dallas’s resistance. For now, that’s the story.
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