Mavericks unlikely to trade Kyrie Irving as team prioritizes Cooper Flagg’s growth

The Mavericks don’t want to trade Kyrie Irving, and Cooper Flagg is the reason why.

That’s according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who reports that Dallas views Irving as essential to developing its rookie forward the right way.

“They don’t wanna deal Kyrie Irving,” Mannix said on The Ryen Russillo Show. “They think Cooper Flagg needs to play next to an elite point guard to develop him the right way.”

Flagg has been one of the bright spots in a rough Mavericks season. The rookie is averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 47.5 percent from the field. Dallas, meanwhile, is 9-16 and sitting in 11th place in the West.

The Mavericks have already made major changes, firing general manager Nico Harrison and exploring Anthony Davis trade scenarios, per Ashish Mathur of DallasHoopsJournal. But Davis’ massive contract makes any deal far from certain.

Irving, who is recovering from an ACL injury, signed a three-year, $118 million deal in July and is earning $36.6 million this season. The nine-time All-Star averaged 24.7 points last year and remains under contract through 2027 unless he declines his final-year option.

Asked at media day about a return timeline, Irving said only that he’s focused on coming back stronger.

“For me, it was about going internal,” he said, via Mathur. “I’m trying to be better than where I was.”