Mavericks' Kyrie Irving trade fears just got the definitive answer fans begged for

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Dallas Mavericks are not looking to trade Kyrie Irving. The debate of keeping or trading Irving has been on fans' minds for weeks, and fans will be relieved that Dallas' brass is looking to keep him on the Mavs for the time being.

"The Mavericks do not want to trade him," MacMahon said on a recent episode of "Howdy Partners." "Trading Kyrie is not something that's on the Mavericks' priority list, or it's just straight up not something that they are interested in doing right now."

Some Mavericks fans were concerned that Irving was going to be traded this season after Nico Harrison was fired, but it sounds like Dallas is going to ride it out with him moving forward. Irving opted out of his contract with the Mavs over the summer and signed a new three-year deal to remain in Dallas through the end of the 2027-28 season.

The Mavericks want to keep Kyrie Irving

He has loved playing in Dallas for the last few years, and unless something changes, it sounds like he and Cooper Flagg will get the chance to push for a massive bounce-back season next year. This isn't to say that this year is already a complete wash, but the Mavericks are already in a massive hole at 5-14. They'd need to go on a miraculous run toward the end of the year to even make the Play-In Tournament, and this would likely only happen if Anthony Davis stays in Dallas beyond the trade deadline.

This doesn't seem likely at this point, and if the Mavericks do trade Davis, they'll immediately have a massive choice to make with Irving and his status. All reports surrounding Irving and his ACL recovery have been overwhelmingly positive, but winning may not benefit Dallas very much at that point in the season.

After this year, the Mavericks don't own any of their own first-round picks until 2031. This is the only year that Dallas would benefit from losing and maxing out their lottery odds, and this is definitely a conversation that may be had if they keep dropping games.

They haven't shown any signs that they are tanking this early into the season, but if it does get to the point where they go all-in on tanking, allowing Irving to rest and get healthy for the 2026-27 campaign may be the best idea for both sides. Bringing him back wouldn't make much sense at that point, and him sitting for the rest of the season would minimize the possibility of him getting injured while maximizing their odds to secure a favorable lottery pick.

This situation would be the best of both worlds if the Mavericks decide to bottom out, as it would guarantee that Irving is fully healthy for next season while giving them a great shot to add another star youngster to pair with Flagg. Right after firing Harrison, it was clear that they'd shift their focus to building around Flagg.

Harrison's three-to-four-year window was immediately thrown into the garbage. Dallas lucking into the No. 1 overall pick and Flagg saved them from a pit of despair, and they have to capitalize on that now.

Their one shot to add a young star on a cost-controlled contract is next summer, and they can't afford to mess that up. Flagg, whoever they draft, and Irving are poised to be a deadly pairing, and even if they aren't NBA Finals contenders, the two young players will at least have the best mentor in the business to learn from in Irving.

This will, of course, depend on whether Dallas keeps Irving, but all signs are pointing to them doing just that. Irving was the one voice of reason within the organization following the grueling trade of Luka Doncic, and fans have clung closely to him ever since.

Kyrie Irving has quietly solidified himself as a Mavericks legend in a short amount of time, and fans' worries about him being traded are gone.

For now.