Mavericks eye trade to steal Kyrie Irving's future replacement in draft

The Dallas Mavericks are thinking about trading up in the 2026 NBA Draft to select Darius Acuff Jr. out of Arkansas, according to NBA insider Brett Siegel, and this is a move that would give Dallas the perfect point guard to replace Kyrie Irving one day. Acuff Jr. was the best point guard in all of college basketball last season, and one of the best players in the country, and the Mavericks finding a way to draft him would give them an incredible running mate for Cooper Flagg.

"The Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, and Sacramento Kings all have interest in Acuff, sources said, with the Kings at No. 7 overall being viewed as his floor in the draft," Siegel reported. "Another team mentioned multiple times by league personnel with trade-up interest in Acuff is the Dallas Mavericks."

Dallas stealing Acuff Jr. would turn heads

As Siegel reported, the LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, and Sacramento Kings have all shown interest in drafting Acuff Jr. These three teams hold the No. 5, 6, and 7 overall picks, and with the Kings viewed as his floor, the Mavericks would obviously have to trade up to get him. There's no chance that he falls to the ninth pick, and Dallas would have to poach him from these teams by trading up.

This would be a move that no one originally expected, especially with all of the speculation that the Mavs could move back in the draft rather than staying put at nine. Trading up to draft Acuff Jr. and stealing him from these other teams would be a major steal, as Acuff Jr. has real star upside. The defensive concerns are real, but he has a chance to silence the narrative that he can't defend at the NBA level.

Dallas has the right pieces to mask Acuff Jr.'s defensive flaws as well, making them a great potential destination for the 19-year-old guard.

Irving would be a great mentor

Acuff Jr. wowed the college basketball world in his freshman season as a Razorback, as he averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. He has everything that you want out of your franchise point guard on the offensive end, and Irving would be the perfect teacher for him before he eventually takes over that spot.

Irving has done an excellent job mentoring young Mavericks players such as Brandon Williams, and Acuff Jr. would be a great next student at Kyrie's point guard school. His leadership is one of the many things that has made him a dream fit in Dallas for the last three years, and helping Acuff Jr. on and off the court would help ensure that he would be ready with what comes with being an NBA star.

Acuff Jr.'s Dallas fit makes sense

The Mavericks make so much sense for Acuff Jr., as he could come off the bench and learn behind Irving, and whenever Dallas decides to move on from Irving, Acuff Jr. would be ready to start. He also provides the catch-and-shoot ability to potentially play alongside Irving in certain lineups, but they'd need to be paired with a massive frontcourt with good defense.

Dallas makes sense as a potential Acuff Jr. destination, and these rumbles of them looking to trade up to draft him are intriguing. The Mavericks stealing him from the Nets or Kings, two teams desperate for a star of any kind, would be absolute cinema, and he'd be put into a great situation where he can learn, grow, and build an elite on-court partnership with Flagg.

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