Kyrie Irving could be the biggest player for a contender ahead of the trade deadline, but Mavericks don’t seem motivated to move the 34-year-old point guard, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. Irving is off to a strong start after missing 19 months with a torn ACL, averaging 21.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 10 games. He also developed a strong chemistry with Cooper Flagg as Dallas is in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race at 7-5.
Irving has been a popular name in trade speculation because he is not signed beyond this season and has a $42 million player option for next summer. He recently – he turned to his teammates about the problem, telling them not to be distracted by trade rumors.
Amick quotes the team president Masai Ujiriwho said this summer that he was “extremely excited” to see how Irving and Flagg combine their skills, which has been extremely positive so far. Amick also notes that the Mavericks don’t control their first-round pick until 2031 and will have a hard time replacing Irving if they let him leave without getting anything in return.
Amick says he would be “strongly leaning” toward keeping Irving in Dallas beyond the deadline, especially if the team continues to win.
Amick shares other trade rumors from around the league:
- Anthony Davis may get an audition for his next team with his strong performance early in the season with Wizards. Davis is averaging 25.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and, like Irving, doesn’t seem to be dealing with any rust after a long layoff. Amick estimates that the four-year, $212.9 million extension Trey Young received this summer spells the end of Davis’ tenure in Washington, as the team can’t afford to give huge deals to both players with so many rookie-scale extensions on the horizon. At 4-9, the Wizards are unlikely to be a serious playoff contender, and Amick notes that Davis’ agent, Rich Pavel of Klutch Sports, has a history of putting pressure on teams to get their clients out of bad situations.
- A difficult start for magicwhich are already in dire financial straits, makes rival executives wonder if Anthony Black may be available, according to Amick. The 22-year-old guard is headed to restricted free agency next summer after failing to receive a contract extension, looming large costs for a team that already has a bloated roster. However, team and league sources tell Amick that Orlando is more likely to break up its veteran core than part ways with Black.
- The Pelicans set a high price Herbert Jonesbut his contract, combined with reduced playing time, could scare off opposing teams. Amick notes that after earning $14.8 million this season, Jones’ salary will rise to $20.8 million and $22.5 million over the next two years with a player option of $24.1 million for 2029/30.
- Amick refers to “external belief” that The sun ready to trade Jalen Green for a proven point guard, but a team source tells him they will be patient with the current roster and not make any trades until the end of the season.
- A Networks a source confirms to Amico that the team is open to discussing trades involving anyone on the roster. The main focus will be between now and February Michael Porter Jr and Julius Randletwo veteran forwards who could potentially help the opposition.
- The The necklaces will discuss a trade for anyone other than a rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr– sources in the team inform Amik. Acuff’s strong start has management hoping to speed up the rebuilding process to revamp the roster around him. Damantas Sabonis, Zach Lavin and Malik Monk were too expensive to attract much interest, but Amick suggests there may be a market for them Keegan Murray.
- Amick is also considering Bykov, Clippers and Buckswho all got off to a terrible start and have plenty of expiring contracts to unload.