Mavericks Rumors: Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis

As the Mavericks sort through front-office upheaval and a rough start to the season, one name that keeps popping up in trade chatter is Kyrie Irving.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, that talk is coming from everywhere except inside the Mavericks’ building.

Appearing on the Howdy Partners podcast, MacMahon said he does not view Irving as a realistic trade candidate for the 2025-26 season.

“What I would tell you about Kyrie is the Mavericks do not want to trade him,” MacMahon said. “The only way I think Kyrie Irving would get traded is if he went to the Mavericks and asked for that to happen. And I don’t have any information that points in that direction.”

Even with Dallas shifting its focus toward No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, MacMahon emphasized that the franchise isn’t trying to hand the entire operation to a teenager.

Flagg will not turn 19 for a few more weeks, and the Mavericks still want veteran voices in the locker room.

Since arriving from Brooklyn in February 2023, Irving has been one of those voices. MacMahon reiterated that Dallas prefers Irving “on the floor, in the starting lineup, and as the leader of the team next year.”

What that means for this season is still unclear.

MacMahon recently suggested on The Hoop Collective that Irving might not play in 2025-26 “for other reasons,” and on Wednesday he clarified what he meant.

“That was too cryptic. Let me just be clear,” he said. “The other reason is because this is the one year the Mavericks can benefit from being bad. That’s it. They control their own first-round pick in 2026, and that’s the only one they control during Cooper Flagg’s rookie deal.”

Dallas is 5-14 and facing an uphill climb in the West, especially with the February 5 trade deadline approaching.

The return of Anthony Davis — out 14 straight games with a calf strain — should help in the short term, but MacMahon still expects the Mavs to shop the veteran big man.

“Trading AD is a real possibility, and I would even say likelihood,” MacMahon told co-host Michael C. Wright. “Trading Kyrie is not something the Mavericks are interested in doing right now.”

Irving is in the first season of a three-year, $118.5 million contract he signed over the summer.