Rival Teams Continue To Monitor Kyrie Irving

As Stein has written before, the fact that Irving, 34, is nearly 15 years older than franchise player Cooper Flagg, who will turn 20 in December, is one significant reason why teams are skeptical that the point guard will remain part of the Mavs’ long-term plans.

While Dallas’ new basketball executives – president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz – have expressed enthusiasm about seeing Irving play alongside Flagg after the veteran missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, the two stars aren’t exactly on the same timeline moving forward.

According to Stein, another reason why teams are monitoring Irving and believe he might end up on the trade block is the fact that the coaching staff he grew comfortable with during his first few years in Dallas is entirely gone. As Stein writes, Irving was close with former head coach Jason Kidd and assistant coaches God Shammgod, but Shammgod joined the Magic in 2025 and Kidd was replaced by Dusty May earlier this offseason.

Phil Handy, who took Shammgod’s place on the Mavs’ sidelines and worked closely with Irving last season, reached an agreement last week to join Nick Nurse‘s staff in Philadelphia and will also be leaving Dallas ahead of the ’26/27 season. Handy was the only holdover left from Kidd’s group of assistants.

Prior to his ACL tear, Irving appeared in 50 games in 2024/25, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 36.1 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .473/.401/.916. He’s owed $39.5MM this coming season and holds a $42.4MM player option for ’27/28.