NBA insider reveals what might force Mavericks to trade Kyrie Irving despite recent rumors originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The entire offseason for the Dallas Mavericks has revolved around Kyrie Irving and his future with the organization. He is entering the final year of his contract, but the Mavericks reportedly want him to finish out the season.
The NBA champion is coming off an injury that sidelined him for all of last season. However, he remains committed to Dallas.
“I'm not gonna shy away from saying it's been a little chaotic at times, inside the locker room as well as outside…I'm in love with this place just because of how welcoming it was, not just from the franchise aspect but also the fans, lot of support around the city…We're building something…Having that championship mindset that whatever we face we can deal with," Irving said.
With the regular season approaching, the Mavericks have given no indication that they want to trade Irving.
“Ujiri has made it clear that the franchise is committed to keeping Irving with Flagg, who is 15 years younger than the star point guard," ESPN's Brain Windhorst wrote. "Rival front offices question whether Dallas can stick to that plan with roster holes elsewhere and the two stars on different career timelines."
However, NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported that Irving's performance could leave Dallas with little choice but to consider trading him.
“If he comes back healthy for a significant sample size that shows every other team around the NBA that he is still capable of being an All-Star talent and a playoff game-changer especially as a halfcourt ball-handling creator, the Mavs, I believe, are going to get trade offers that ultimately they are not going to be able to refuse," Fischer said. "They can keep saying right now and projecting publicly and saying it behind the scenes that they are not interested in moving him, but things do change very very quickly in the NBA."
If Irving returns to form and the Mavericks struggle to play consistently good basketball, there could be reason to believe a trade is possible. After all, it would be difficult for Dallas to ignore significant trade offers for its veteran guard.
Irving's return from injury could be huge for the Mavericks, but it could also mark the beginning of the end of his time in Dallas. Nothing is set in stone as the season approaches, and both Irving and the organization will have to see how things unfold.
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