Masai Ujiri's ambitious Mavericks vision puts Kyrie Irving's future at risk

Masai Ujiri confidently declared that the Dallas Mavericks are “not going to make decisions based on winning today" under his stewardship with Cooper Flagg on the roster, who Ujiri described as “a 19-year-old generational player.” He also said that "every decision we are going to make here is going to be future-based."

This is a refreshing and promising take to hear after Nico Harrison infamously declared that “the future is three to four years from now.” Ujiri is clearly excited about the future, and he has expressed extreme confidence that the Mavericks are going to eventually be in a position to win under his leadership.

This ambitious long-term focus, however, may require NBA legend and Dallas fan favorite Kyrie Irving to leave the franchise just two seasons after making the NBA Finals with the team, as a win-later plan, regardless of how smart it is, threatens the 34-year-old's future with the team.

Kyrie is essential to the Mavs, but the future likely does not include him

After this upcoming draft, the Mavericks don't fully control any of their own first-round picks until 2031. This means that Ujiri’s best available asset to arm Flagg with a co-star of the future is in this draft.

Unless Ujiri trades Irving.

In theory, Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg working alongside each other is the perfect one-two punch. Irving is one of the all-time great shotmakers and shot creators, while Flagg is an all-time great prospect whose game fits perfectly alongside a scoring guard.

This dream falls apart, however, when you realize Flagg is 19 and Irving is 34. Perhaps the two stars can coexist for a season or two, but the odds of the two players forming a dynasty together are slim to none if Irving’s ability declines as he ages. If Ujiri trades Irving, however, suddenly the Mavericks can turn their aging star into a draft haul to support Flagg.

It’s a sad reality, as Irving seems to truly love Dallas and the fans return the favor. But Irving represents a trade asset with real value and doesn’t fit Ujiri’s timeline. While other Mavericks like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford also hold positive trade value, these players are younger and can likely support Flagg for another 5+ years, which isn’t as safe an assumption for Irving.

It’s hard to speculate what Irving’s exact trade value is today after missing the entire 2025-26 season due to a torn ACL. With a $39.5 million contract for next season and a $42.4 million player option for the following season, his contract status is advantageous for a trade; if a team chooses to make a splash with Irving, they could move off his contract relatively quickly if things don’t pan out.

Make no mistake, Irving is not officially on the trade block. But don’t be surprised if his name starts popping up in trade talks, particularly as he rehabilitates his value with healthy play.

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