Mavericks should rightfully worry about Kyrie Irving after the Luka Doncic trade

The Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to get over the Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers anytime soon. Even with the Mavericks getting Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round draft pick, Maverick fans will still not get over the trade as they lost the face of the city.

In Dallas' first game without Doncic, they got blown by 43 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Mavericks were without most of their lineup, but that loss made what had happened the night before sting even more. To make matters worse when it comes to the Doncic trade, fans were outside of American Airlines Center creating a mini-exhibit of memorabilia for Doncic, and tons of fans were furious.

Not having Doncic on the roster anymore will be a concern. However, as this season is winding down and the summer approaches with the draft and free agency, there is one more concern that the Mavericks may not have realized at the time of trading Doncic.

Kyrie Irving's player option is something to be cautious about

After this season, Kyrie Irving will be 33 years old. The future of Irving in Dallas could take a turn after the Doncic trade. Irving has a player option where he can opt out of his deal after this season and this could be a major concern that the Mavericks have to take on now.

Early reporting indicates that Irving remains interested in staying in Dallas beyond this season, but still, anything can happen in today's NBA. We just saw that with the Doncic trade.

Trading Doncic without warning him is a first sign that could draw less interest in Irving to stay. If Doncic wasn't told, Irving may feel the same and not trust the Mavericks front office to re-sign with the team in the summer.

Another scary thought is Irving joining forces with the Lakers. Because Irving has such a great bond with Doncic, potential interest in joining the Lakers and Doncic can be a thought for Irving. Also with the Lakers, Irving has played and won a championship with LeBron James. A big three of Irving, Doncic and James would be a deadly trio.

Because of the Doncic trade, the offense will be heavily relied on Irving even with Davis on the court. Without Doncic, defenses will be applying more pressure on Irving to contain him more, and the entire game will change for him.

While the Mavericks fans are not focussed on this right now, trading Doncic now has a potential factor on Irving's decision for the summer. Without his sidekick, Irving could feel devastated so much he may not want to remain in Dallas after 2025. The pressure on the Mavericks to keep Irving after 2025 is going to be high, because if he were to leave, they would be put into an extremely tough position.