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Kevin Durant May Have Been Traded To Dallas Mavericks If Kyrie Irving Hadn’t Torn ACL

Originally posted on Dallas Hoops Journal
By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 10:46 PM ET

Kevin Durant may have been traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Dallas Mavericks if Kyrie Irving hadn’t torn his left ACL in March, according to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.

Durant and Irving are close friends. They were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets.

“In just talking to people across the league, I got the sense, and I started reporting it around February, March, that had Kyrie Irving not injured his knee, tore his ACL, we might be having another conversation about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as members of the Dallas Mavericks,” Robinson said. “Kyrie Irving’s injury, his knee, really was, no pun intended, the Achilles heel as to why KD did not find a way to the Dallas Mavericks.”

Scoop B (@ScoopB) on Why Kevin Durant Didn't End Up with the Mavs – The ripple effect of Kyrie Irving's injury is wild. Insiders hint that a healthy Irving might've changed Kevin Durant's destination! A twist? @hbculegends @KyleAnthonyKAM #NBADrama #NBA #KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/XfkDIDXY3h
— Kyle T. Mosley (@ktmoze) July 24, 2025

Durant played with Irving on the Nets and Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson on the Golden State Warriors and was teammates with Dallas big man Anthony Davis on Team USA last summer.

KD has a lot of connections with the Mavericks.

However, the Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and six draft picks. Durant has one year left on his contract. He’ll make $54.7 million next season.

The Mavericks have six new players on the team: D’Angelo Russell, Ryan Nembhard, Miles Kelly, Cooper Flagg, Matthew Cleveland and Moussa Cisse. Flagg, of course, was the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Dallas is moving forward with Irving, Davis, Thompson and Flagg as its core, while Durant is “incredibly excited” about getting traded to the Rockets, per NBA insiders Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

“According to a source close to Durant, the future Hall of Famer is ‘incredibly excited’ about the opportunity to join a contender in Houston, surrounded by a talented coaching staff and top-five defensive unit,” Iko and Amick wrote.

This article first appeared on Dallas Hoops Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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