Mavericks have smart Kyrie Irving trade plans, and they’re the right ones

Mavericks have smart Kyrie Irving trade plans, and they’re the right ones originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Among the many intriguing teams around the NBA next season, the Dallas Mavericks are at the top of that list.  The Mavericks look to be a decent team on paper, led by youngster Cooper Flagg. There's obviously a lot of hope that Flagg will keep taking the jumps everyone expects, since there was a strong argument last year that he was already one of the top five young players in the league.  Flagg was absolutely incredible on both ends of the floor and has all the makings of a franchise superstar for years to come.  However, now that he's entering his second year, expectations will only get higher. The Mavericks also have a decent team around him, with Kyrie Irving returning from injury. While Irving could likely get the Mavericks a decent return, one that might help them pair Flagg with young talent and draft picks, Dallas doesn't seem to want to go that route just yet.  According to the latest report from Brian Windhorst, the Mavericks want to keep him around. “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,” Windhorst reported . “Rival front offices question whether Dallas can stick to that plan with roster holes elsewhere and the two stars on different career timelines.” It's not a bad idea to keep a guy like Irving around until the Mavericks have a good feel for what they need around the trade deadline.  If a team is still willing to trade for Irving and believes he's the missing piece to winning a championship, and the Mavericks are somehow out of playoff contention, that's a different story. A lot of this will come down to how all parties look, as the Mavericks hope they can be a playoff-caliber team, while Irving is looking to get healthy and be the player he always is. More NBA news: Draymond Green responds to fire social media claims of weight gain Dalton Knecht gets reality check as Los Angeles must cut a player Stephen A. Smith blasts Knicks’ James Dolan over Karl-Anthony Towns drama Knicks report about Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Miles McBride is far from ideal Warriors Brandin Podziemski gets promising contract news ahead of 2026-27 season