Maybe the Dallas Mavs front office is not to be believed or trusted in the eyes of critics because … well, you know, that pesky Luka Doncic thing, right?
Nevertheless, the revamped front office (albeit under the same ownership group that oversaw the disastrous swap that sent Doncic to the Lakers) is busy swearing that it has no intention of moving Kyrie Irving … that it wants to see Irving finally paired with Cooper Flagg on the floor.
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That, however, is not stopping NBA watchers from trying to create trades involving Irving, 34, who is ready to return to the court after a lengthy injury absence.
Enter our friends from Heavy.com, who want to send Irving to the Miami Heat, where he would join up with ex-Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
We do know that other teams are sniffing around the idea of Dallas eventually moving off of Irving, with part of the thinking being his age doesn’t match with the timeline of the development of Flagg, 19, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft who won Rookie of the Year.
So …
How might this work – if Mavs management ever concedes to making it work?
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One three-team version of that idea would move four players and a first-round pick:
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Irving would go to Miami.
So the Mavericks would receive: Darius Garland and a 2027 second-round pick (via Oklahoma City)
The Heat would receive Kyrie Irving.
And the Clippers would receive Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, a 2029 first-round pick (via Lakers) and a 2027 second-round pick (via Miami).
What does our Mavs insider Grant Afseth think of the proposal?
He gives it a “D” as far as Dallas is concerned.
Writes Afseth: “Grade for Dallas: D. The Mavericks would send out Irving and the only first-round pick they hold before 2031 that no other team has a claim on. They would take back a guard who is owed … $42.2 million this season and $44.9 million in 2027-28, the final year of his deal.”
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Garland is 26 and he’s made two All-Star Games. In 2024-25, he averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists in 75 games.
So there is some appeal here.
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Meanwhile, Irving tore his left ACL on March 3, 2025, and did not play in 2025-26. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 2024-25. In July 2025, he signed a three-year, $118.5 million contract that pays him $39.5 million this season. It includes a 15-percent trade kicker and a $42.4 million player option for 2027-28.
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And there is intrigue there in wishing to see him on the floor in Dallas. Also worth noting: We do believe that the Mavs aren’t done making moves, maybe even making trades. (Center Daniel Gafford is a discussion item here.)
But in the end, the reason we’re a no-go on this is because it allows Miami to be the big winner. The Heat would be adding a nine-time All-Star alongside Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo without giving up a first-round pick.
Afseth’s grade for the Miami end of the deal is a “B.”
If and when Dallas ever gives up on the Flagg/Kyrie vision, our hope would be that the Mavs “win the trade” … something we don’t think is quite happening with this proposal.
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