NBA teams appear to smell blood in the water and are circling the Mavericks.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday that “multiple contenders” are “monitoring” Kyrie Irving’s status with the Mavs after Jason Kidd was ousted as head coach Tuesday.
Charania suggested the Mavericks seemed to be moving on from those brought in under former majority owner Mark Cuban.
General manager Nico Harrison was fired in November, Luka Dončić was traded to the Lakers in a highly controversial deal last season and Kidd was let go this week, leaving Irving as the last major piece from the Cuban era.
“We’ve seen Patrick Dumont, the owner, essentially flush away anyone that was even around the Mark Cuban regime,” Charania said. “Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd they were all brought in by Mark Cuban. Luka Dončić, a Mark Cuban guy. The only Mark Cuban guy left on that team right now is Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving is a generational player, a generational talent. Masai Ujiri did his press conference today and he said we want to see Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg on the court together.
“But there’s no question, there’s multiple contenders around the NBA that are very much monitoring what Kyrie Irving’s future is right now with the Mavericks. Whether it’s the summer, whether it’s into the season, that’s all going to play out over the course of the year.”
Irving, 34, did not play a single minute for Dallas in 2025-26 due to a torn left ACL he suffered late in the previous season. Hope that the NBA star would be able to play in the second half of the 2025-26 campaign disappeared when the Mavs and Irving’s agent announced in February that he was done for the year.
Irving can be a game-changer when he’s on the court and healthy, and his future in Dallas is certainly going to be one that rival teams monitor.
Irving has plenty of accomplishments next to his name, which include Rookie of the Year, nine All-Star nods and an NBA championship.
