Kyrie Irving is making it harder for the Mavericks to trade him with every game

To many NBA fans' disbelief, the Dallas Mavericks are 4-2 through six games and the No. 7 team in the Western Conference. Dallas has won three games in a row heading into Monday night's game against the Sacramento Kings, with the biggest win of this stretch coming against the then-undefeated Houston Rockets on Friday night.

Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg combined for 68 points in that thrilling 116-111 win, with Irving leading the way with 35 points. He finished with 26 points in the second half (16 in the fourth quarter) to help the Mavs secure a statement win over their in-state rival, and his production this season is going to make it harder and harder for the team to move on.

The Mavericks' hot start changes the optics of a Kyrie Irving trade

Trade buzz has surrounded Kyrie for some time now, as the 14-year age gap between him and Flagg was one of the biggest storylines of the season. Trading a player much older than the new franchise cornerstone once seemed like it would make sense, since they're on two seperate timelines, but Dallas looks ready to win now.

Even though they're clearly building for the future, given their focus on bringing in young players who complement Coop's game, they're playing far too well to trade the second-best player on the team. Irving has been the perfect co-star for Flagg through the five games they've played together, and they can't split them up just yet unless the offer they receive is too good to turn down.

Irving is averaging 21.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting a career-high 52.7 percent from the field, and he's doing all of this while playing a career-low 28.6 minutes per game.

This is just the start for Irving this season

Kai's playing time should naturally go up as the season goes on and his minutes restriction is fully lifted, as he missed all of last season with a torn ACL. He hasn't shown any signs of losing a step due to this injury, as he's playing just like his old self, and the team desperately missed his presence last season.

Irving's return to the lineup has given Dallas' offense much better flow due to his shot-making, on-ball gravity, and ability to run the show, and his defense has also been strong. This was especially evident in the Mavericks' two most recent wins over the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, as Kyrie played some hard-nosed defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and even Kevin Durant at one point.

The Mavericks have a real chance to be a playoff team this season if Irving continues to dominate, and every big game he has makes the case to move on even harder. They would be punting on a duo that has quickly proven they play well together, but they'd also be hurting the fan base all over again.

Why Dallas needs Kyrie right now

Mavericks fans' hearts were broken when Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February of 2025. He was the heart and soul of the team for years, and he was traded less than a year after he helped lead Dallas to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011.

Luka was the face of Mavs basketball from the time he was drafted until the day he was traded, and this infamous trade ripped the city's heart out. The tension inside of the American Airlines Center was evident without Doncic on the court.

Nothing felt the same, and many Mavs fans jumped ship. They gave up on the team that they had poured so much energy into, but now things are different. Excitement is starting to creep back into the walls of the AAC.

Kyrie is one of the main reasons for this excitement, as he has reminded Mavs fans that he is still a star and fully capable of carrying the team when needed. He is the longest-tenured player on the team and one of the few remaining members from the NBA Finals team in 2024.

While Mavs fans still miss the "LuKai" duo, especially since they only got to play one full season together, Flagg and Irving are becoming the faces of this new era.

Cooper Flagg and Irving can turn this strong start into something more

Flagg and Irving's success this season has helped bring joy back to the city, and the Mavericks need to keep this rolling. MFFLs would be distraught if Dallas moved on from Kyrie at the trade deadline, regardless of the return they receive, and the Mavs shouldn't break up a good thing before seeing them play a full season together.

Dallas could end up having even more success as everyone gets healthy, and they can't risk giving up on the Coop-Kyrie duo now. Both players are playing at an extremely high level, and every monstrous performance that Irving has makes him look increasingly untouchable.

Dallas has already signaled that they prefer not to trade Irving, and this message could become even louder with every win.

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