Quinn Cook Thinks Kevin Durant Would Be On Dallas Mavericks If Kyrie Irving Didn’t Tear ACL

Former NBA player Quinn Cook thinks Kevin Durant would be on the Dallas Mavericks instead of the Houston Rockets if Kyrie Irving didn’t tear his ACL.

Durant got traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Rockets in July. Irving, who played with Durant on the Brooklyn Nets, tore his left ACL in March.

“Oh yeah. 100 percent! I know their relationship, you know? I think Dallas had a very good chance of getting him,” Cook told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.

Durant not only played with Irving on the Nets, but he also played with Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson on the Golden State Warriors and was teammates with Dallas big man Anthony Davis on Team USA last summer.

Durant was linked to the Rockets, Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat in the offseason. Houston wound up trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and six draft picks to Phoenix to acquire the NBA legend.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and signed D’Angelo Russell, who played with Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Irving, who tore his left ACL on March 3 against the Sacramento Kings, told reporters at Mavericks media day that he’s “right on schedule” in his ACL rehab.

“I’m right on schedule guys,” Irving said. “There’s consistency here. I’m right on schedule. Okay. Appreciate you.”

Irving appeared in 50 games for the Mavericks last season. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks while shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.1% from beyond the arc and 91.6% from the free-throw line.

Dallas signed Irving to a three-year, $118 million contract in July. Irving will make $36.6 million in 2025-26. He can become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 by declining his 2027-28 player option worth $42.4 million.

Irving doesn’t know when he’ll be back on the court for the Mavericks, who missed the playoffs last season after making the NBA Finals in 2024.

“Nah, I didn’t even approach it like that once I got injured,” Irving said. “Obviously everyone has their own timeline in terms of doctors coming on, giving their expert opinion, analysts are gonna do their thing as well, which I respect. For me, it was about going internal, figuring out what I can do to push myself to get where I need to be and I’ve made that statement clear that I’m trying to be better than where I was, which is, it’s a hard task.”