The Dallas Mavericks have gone through rampant transformations in the last year or so. They traded their franchise superstar, Luka Doncic, to the Los Angeles Lakers when former general manager Nico Harrison planned a move to bring Anthony Davis to Dallas to improve the team’s defense. However, the deal didn’t work out well for the franchise.

The big man kept getting injured and was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Davis’ trade to Washington sparks an interesting question about Kyrie Irving’s future with the Mavericks. The star point guard, who has been out for the entire season with a torn ACL, is reportedly committed to the Mavericks for the foreseeable future. Recently, Dallas Insider Tim McMahon also gave reitereated the same emotion from the Mavericks management point of view.

The franchise front office sees the veteran guard as the perfect fit to accompany their rookie star Cooper Flagg, who has been sensational for the team this season and will only get better under Kyrie’s leadership and guidance.

When the Mavericks made the trade for AD, they envisioned a partnership between him and Kyrie, but unfortunately, the duo could only manage to play a single game together.

Now, the Mavs will look to build around Flagg and Kyrie, and given they are well below the luxury tax after trading AD, they can easily afford to bring the point guard next year without any rush, as per NBA Insider Brian Windhorst.

“They shouldn’t bring him back. They shouldn’t win,” Windhorst said on NBA Today. “Everybody involved here should tank. And quite frankly, they don’t have to trade Kyrie because they’ve done the hard work. They can bring Kyrie back next year with Cooper Flagg, and if they don’t like the fit, they can trade Kyrie.”

Top Stories

Anthony Edwards’ Worrying Announcement Raises Concern Amid Giannis Rumor

ESPN’s Shams Charania Exposes Giannis Again as Top 3 Trade Destinations Emerge

Warriors Trade Jonathan Kuminga With Lakers’ Help After Giannis Antetokounmpo Fallout

“Forgot He Plays Basketball”: NBA Legend Blasts Warriors’ Kristaps Porzingis Trade Amid Jimmy Butler Rumor

Fans Express Disbelief After ESPN Exposes ‘Free League Pass’ as Part of WNBA’s CBA Pitch

When will Kyrie Irving return from injury, and the way ahead for the Mavs?

Kyrie Irving tore his ACL back in March, and it has been almost a year since he last stepped on the court. Earlier reports suggested he could be back after the All-Star break, but there hasn’t been much noise about it since.

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd also shared that Kyrie is unlikely to return until after the All-Star break. But the signs aren’t positive, as he hasn’t started training yet.

He continues to rehab from a torn ACL in his left knee, which went under the knife in March. So in all likelihood, the Mavericks are showing no intention of rushing the veteran back onto the court.

There’s a strong possibility that the Mavs may tank this season and return with Flagg and Kyrie for the next season.

Overall, the atmosphere around the Mavs has suddenly shifted from short-term wins to long-term goals. Therefore, even with miserly returns from the AD trade, they are in a good position.

The Mavericks traded Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to Washington in exchange for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders. Yes, the returns from this trade weren’t the best, but according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, it still puts the Mavs in good standing as it largely improved their long-term flexibility.

“The Mavericks now have the resources, starting with a likely lottery pick (and a late first) and financial/roster resources to build their roster around Cooper Flagg,” Marks wrote. “Dallas has $150 million in guaranteed money next year, well below the tax and apron.”

This entire shift allows them an opportunity to accumulate more assets before the deadline and even in the summer, as they are below the luxury tax and both aprons. In this period of change, they would love to have Kyrie Irving on their roster as he could be that bridge between their present and the future that would be led by Cooper Flagg.