Kyrie Irving put some of the fears about his injury to rest in his first preseason game, scoring 17 points in 22 minutes and looking like the old Kyrie in the process.
His name is already being mentioned as a potential trade target for the Detroit Pistons, which makes perfect sense, as his combination of playmaking, ball handling and scoring are exactly what they need.
It has been assumed that Dallas would be interested in trading Irving at some point, as he only has a player option left on his deal after this season and is considerably older than Cooper Flagg, who is the guy they are building around for the future.
Dallas could also use more clean draft assets, as most of their immediate future picks are tied up in swaps. No one expects the Mavs to compete for anything meaningful, so all of this adds up to them trading Irving at some point before the deadline. Right?
The Mavericks could mess up the Pistons plans for Kyrie Irving
It already looks as if we can expect a huge leap from Flagg this season, and that along with a healthy Kyrie, might be enough to keep the latter name out of the rumor mill.
The Mavs aren’t a threat to win the stacked Western Conference at this point, but there is definitely a world in which they chase a play-in berth, in which case, they may decide to keep Irving around.
With the new tanking rules in place, teams have no reason to bottom out, so if the Mavs are hanging around the middle of the pack, why wouldn't they want to get their future superstar some meaningful reps early in his career?
The Mavs have a decent combination of wing shooting and big man play that will certainly be helped by having Irving around, and the best thing for Flagg’s development may be for him not to have to do everything.
It’s not a given that Irving is even there to trade for, and even if he is, the Pistons would have competition.
The Pistons and Kyrie Irving are a great match, but...
Even though Irving is on the downside of his career, he’s still a great ballhandler, 3-point shooter and guy who has proven himself on the biggest stage. You wouldn’t find too many players who would slot next to Cade Cunningham who are better fits on paper.
If Kyrie is healthy, playing well and the Mavs do decide to trade him, the Pistons won’t be the only ones in the mix, and Trajan Langdon has shown himself to be cautious so far when it comes to making a franchise-shifting trade. If he has to outbid other teams, would he go all-in for a 34-year-old with injury concerns?
With so much parity in the league, the trade deadline could end up tipping things towards one team or another, so if Irving is available, every contender will have interest, as he’s a guy who could flip a series.
It’s a nice thought for the Pistons, but there are some real challenges, including that Dallas may be too good to trade him.
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