The Dallas Mavericks hope to keep Kyrie Irving, sources tell Marc Stein. Irving remains out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, but he is "vibing nicely" with Cooper Flagg in practice settings.
The Mavericks re-signed Irving in the offseason on a three-year, $119 million deal. Irving agreed to lower his salary for the 25-26 season from his player option in order to allow the Mavericks to utilize the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception that they used on D'Angelo Russell.
Dallas is "not encouraging trade inquiries" for Irving, which is in contrast to their position on Anthony Davis as they are expected to listen to offers for the big man leading to the trade deadline.
The Mavericks have a much stronger need at guard as opposed to their excess of power forwards and centers in Davis, Flagg, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively. Gafford is a trade candidate as he has a favorable health outlook and is on a manageable $54.4 million deal over the next three seasons.
Irving is also a fan favorite with the Mavericks as a key element of their run to the Finals in 2024.
