Mavericks shouldn't rush into a Kyrie Irving or Daniel Gafford trade decision

Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford have been two of the Dallas Mavericks' main names in trade rumors this summer, outside of Klay Thompson. With the departure of Thompson via buyout, Irving and Gafford could be the next players to be moved.

The Mavericks must be patient when exploring trade opportunities

The Mavericks' best plan right now would be to have some patience to make the right moves as they build around Cooper Flagg. Irving and Flagg are on opposite ends of their career arcs, and the Mavericks' recent offseason moves point toward a focus on youth and potential rather than winning right now. Dallas' decision to go with Dusty May as their new head coach, as opposed to a proven NBA coach or assistant, also aligns with this trajectory for the team.

Irving would be best utilized on a team focused on winning now and willing to mortgage future assets to do so. Even though the Mavericks haven't shown any interest in trading him yet, this could change at the trade deadline if they want to cash in on his value.

Gafford could be a valuable asset to add to any trade package to stock up on draft picks or young, unproven talent. He has been in trade rumors for multiple seasons in a row.

Discussions this offseason have centered around finding the right landing spot for Gafford rather than trading Irving, but teams are certainly curious about what Dallas will ultimately do with their star point guard. The best decision for the Mavericks would be to wait and hold on to both assets rather than trading them now.

Teams are likely still wary of what Irving will look like after returning from his injury, and a return to form for him would improve his trade value. This is why the Mavs shouldn't be in a rush to move him.

On the flip side, trading away Gafford before the season starts could leave a hole behind Dereck Lively II if Santi Aldama hasn't fully recovered from his right knee surgery by the time the season starts.

A smaller trade could solve their guard problem

Currently, a concern when looking at the team's roster construction is a lack of point guard depth. Any deadline trade would probably have to include several guards if the Mavericks don't address the issue earlier in the season with a smaller trade.

Discussions around a lack of good backups for Irving have been ongoing this offseason among fans and media. With no incentive to be bad, as the Mavericks don't own their first-round pick this year, a smaller move to temporarily patch up one of the more pressing issues with the roster could be viable.

The risk of Irving going down again this year is hard to ignore, and addressing their need for more guard depth before the season starts could be an important piece to staying competitive this season.

Waiting for a mid-season trade could expose new issues

The Mavericks are currently a relatively young and inexperienced team. The roster is brimming with potential, but who truly knows which players are going to make a leap and reach their full potential. If the team isn't gelling in more ways than one by the deadline, then perhaps a bigger roster turnover could be in play. There are very few untouchables outside of Flagg on this team, and exactly what that means may not become clear until February.

Max Christie and Zaccharie Risacher may show this year why having two players at the same position with high potential isn't such a bad thing. Cooper Flagg could make an even bigger leap than expected and make this team truly competitive ahead of schedule. Perhaps the Mavericks' two 2026 first-round draft selections, Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea, show out early and prove that the future is bright in Dallas.

There are a lot of different ways that this season could go, and waiting to make the right move later in the season could be good for a team without super high expectations. This season does feel like make-or-break in terms of how it'll shape the near future of Mavericks basketball, but that doesn't mean the front office needs to rush into a decision on Irving or Gafford's futures with the team.

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