Masai Ujiri seems to want to avoid the Kyrie Irving move Mavericks fans feared

With Jason Kidd and Mat Riccardi both being let go by the Dallas Mavericks and new team president Masai Ujiri, fans have been fearful that Ujiri would try to clean house by trading someone like Kyrie Irving this summer, but Ujiri made it readily apparent that Irving isn't going anywhere in a recent presser following Kidd's dismissal.

"Kevin Durant once told me that there's only one Kyrie Irving walking around in the world," Ujiri said. "I think we have to figure out a way, how Kyrie fits with our program. I've had those conversations with Kyrie, up till yesterday and I think Kyrie will fit. There's a huge curiosity in our minds to see how Kyrie fits playing with Cooper Flagg … and I think we owe that to this organization."

Ujiri hints that Irving will not draw the same fate as Kidd this summer

The 34-year-old Irving missed all of last season rehabbing from a torn ACL in March of 2025, and needless to say, many of his favorite guys have departed from Dallas. Irving and Anthony Davis only got to play three quarters together before injuries destroyed their potential duo, and Irving had built a great working relationship with Kidd and Luka Doncic as well, so the Mavericks practically have an entire new roster compared to when Irving was traded to Dallas in February of 2023.

Given Ujiri's anecdotes from the presser, though, it doesn't seem like Irving is largely discontent with the huge change in atmosphere in Dallas over the past few seasons. Ujiri would likely do right by Irving and find him a home elsewhere if Irving wanted to be traded, but it's clear he and Irving envision a world where he's the second star on this roster alongside Cooper Flagg.

This could be subject to change as the season progresses, and Ujiri has already shown through his brief time in Dallas that nothing is off the table, but he's typically been a man of his word as a forward-facing figure to the media. It's extremely unlikely he flips course on the notion of wanting to see Flagg and Irving on the court together, especially since they didn't get this opportunity with Irving missing all of last season.

With Irving being beloved in Dallas, this is a sigh of relief for fans

Irving could undoubtedly yield a huge return for Dallas that would help further expedite their retool, but they'd likely be taking a step back for the next season or two if they traded him this summer. Dallas still has another young talent they can acquire with the ninth pick in this upcoming draft, but they don't have any control over their future first-round draft picks until 2031, which makes tanking next season basically futile.

Flagg is good enough to be an All-Star as soon as next season, so there's no point in not trying to return to the playoffs next season. If Dallas is far worse than expected, or injuries hamper their season once again, then perhaps Ujiri may consider trading Irving at that point, but it's clear he has no intention of doing that this summer.

Ujiri's outside perspective on the Mavericks' situation had many fans scared that Irving would be next on the chopping block, especially given his age. However, the Mavericks can't be terrible forever given their future draft outlook after this season, and the new tanking rules will make it harder than ever for teams to slide to the bottom in lieu of eventually improving.

If there's one thing in common Ujiri, Flagg, and Irving have, it's that they all want to win at the highest level, which should serve them well for next season and potentially beyond.

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