Kevin Durant's rumored trade whispers point straight to the Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are now below .500 as it seems the ship is finally sinking after losing Kyrie Irving to a brutal season-ending injury. With Irving set to miss time with a torn ACL, he's in good spirits and hopes to come back better than ever.

The only concern is how long the injury lingers into the 2025-26 regular season, as ACL injuries are no joke, and can take as long as anywhere from six to nine months.

The Mavericks have been giving their all even with more guys dropping flies. The Mavs played 43 competitive minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies and stayed in a pretty competitive battle against the Phoenix Suns. Even though these games ended in losses, Jason Kidd has shown that he has become a master at adjustments and battling adversity.

With the Mavericks clearly going all in for Anthony Davis, they might not be done yet. Nico Harrison's next bold move could come this offseason, and it could be a match made in heaven with Kevin Durant in a Mavs uniform.

Durant to the Mavericks would be the perfect way to end his career

At 36-years-old, Durant is looking for his perfect swan song. He's one of the greatest basketball players this game has ever seen, and Durant in a Mavericks uniform gives him one last shot at an NBA championship.

With things crumbling down with the Phoenix Suns, it's likely that Durant won't be going back, as Phoenix has destroyed any hopes of giving Durant any success, and as ESPN's Brian Windhorst once said, the Suns are likely going to trade Durant "and he knows that." This was following the trade deadline when talks were heating up about the Suns trading away Durant, but never did.

Things have obviously gotten shaky with the Suns, there is speculation of four teams likely to pursue Durant this offseason (subscription required). Obviously, any team would have to give up a lot for the future Hall of Fame forward, but with the Mavericks already set up with Davis and Irving, they may be the biggest attraction for Durant already.

Shams Charania expects that a handful of contenders will pursue Durant, and considering the position the Mavericks are in right now, it makes too much sense for them not to be in the mix. Dallas tried to make a deal for him at the trade deadline this past season, and it is a more attractive destination than other potential teams.

The New York Knicks don't have a lot of depth on their bench, and the Houston Rockets have a solid, young core that they'll lose if they plan to try and get Durant. The only real threat is the Miami Heat, who have attractive pieces that they can afford to lose to get a guy like Durant.

Nico Harrison has already gone all in for a championship or bust, much to the dismay of plenty of Mavs fans, but if Harrison has any chance to win people over again, it's that he has the ability to trade for a guy like Durant and give him a golden ending to a remarkable career.