Mavericks just made their trade stance on Kyrie Irving crystal clear

While there are many uncertainties for the Dallas Mavericks this trade season, one certainty seems to be that Kyrie Irving is going to be on this team past the trade deadline.

This comes after a recent report by NBA insider Marc Stein in his Sunday newsletter, as Stein posited that Dallas is treating Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg as untouchables (subscription required) ahead of the trade deadline.

Considering Irving’s future with the Mavericks was somewhat up in the air following a slow start as well as the firing of Nico Harrison, this report comes as a sigh of relief for most Mavericks fans. Even though Irving is almost 34 years old, he's proven to be extremely valuable to Dallas for a multitude of reasons and holds a special place in the hearts of Mavericks fans because of the 2024 Finals run.

Mavericks aren't trading Kyrie Irving ahead of the trade deadline

Trading Irving and Anthony Davis would undoubtedly expedite Dallas' youth journey as well as building around Cooper Flagg, but all signs are pointing toward the Mavericks still wanting to be competitive next season, especially since they don't own their 2027 first-round pick. Taking that into account, it's good to see Dallas is still electing to keep Irving on this team, as they don't want to completely bottom out for no reason and need veteran leadership entering the Flagg era.

It seems very likely that Dallas will still trade Davis before February 5, but trading both of their stars around Flagg would've been too risky a proposition, especially since Irving hasn't even gotten to play with Flagg yet. Unfortunately for Mavericks fans, there haven't been any recent updates on Irving's ACL recovery, so when he may come back this season is still largely up in the air.

There are a lot of variables at play in terms of Irving's potential return to the lineup, such as whether Dallas ends up trading Davis or not, as well as what Dallas' record will be by the time Irving is ready to return to the lineup. These variables will likely be determined in the coming weeks, but it's great that Stein practically confirmed Irving will be staying in Dallas, as losing him and Luka Doncic within the span of a year would've been too much for Mavericks fans to stomach.

It's going to be very interesting to see how Irving gets re-integrated into Dallas' lineup once he returns, whether that's this season or next. Dallas has found some juice at the point guard position in the form of Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams, but neither of those guys has the three-level scoring chops that Irving does. Irving brings the type of shot creation that would make the current form of this Mavericks team substantially better, and fans are ready to see him return.

Irving could also be re-joining an entirely different lineup if Davis is traded before he comes back, so the Mavericks are asking Irving to be extremely adaptable with this situation. However, that's something Irving has had no trouble with, considering the constant turnover that has gone down in the Mavericks' organization over the past year.

It's clear how unwavering Irving's commitment to Dallas is since he re-signed with the team this past offseason, and he is committed to going through the thick and thin in Big D.