NBA legend thinks Mavericks should have traded Kyrie Irving

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks v Memphis Grizzlies / Justin Ford/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks made one of the biggest blockbuster trades of the year last season as they sent Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and draft capital to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris.

This trade gave Luka Doncic his co-star of the future in Irving, as they re-signed him to a three-year contract this offseason. Irving staying in Dallas always looked like the most likely outcome, but there was some speculation that other teams could make a run at him.

One of the teams that was mentioned most with Irving is the Lakers (by fans). There were no reports that the Lakers were interested in him, but everyone knows that Irving and LeBron James want to play together.

NBA legend thinks Mavericks should have traded Kyrie Irving

The Lakers wouldn't have been able to afford him through free agency, but a sign and trade could have landed him in Los Angeles. One NBA legend thinks that's the move that Dallas should have made.

Hall-of-Famer and 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley was on Bill Simmons' podcast, "The Bill Simmons Podcast," and openly stated that he doubts the Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving pairing, along with saying that he would have traded Irving to the Lakers rather than re-sign him.

"I was surprised the Mavericks did that (re-sign Irving)," Barkley said. "I would have did a sign-and-trade to try to rebuild my team...I actually thought the Mavs were going to do a sign and trade."

Barkley then stated that he thinks a sign and trade would have been a better idea because it would have allowed Dallas to get Doncic some help. He doesn't like the fit of Doncic and Irving together and thinks it would have been better if Dallas gained some assets while moving Irving.

Simmons then talked about how not many teams could have made the money work but talked about how he thought Irving could get dealt to the Lakers in February due to the fact they could make the money work with some of the contracts they signed this summer.

Barkley seemed to agree with Simmons' prediction that if anyone makes a move, it would likely be the Lakers.

Will the Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic duo work in Dallas? Will the Mavs move Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline?

Both of those questions will be answered this season, and we'll have you covered.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.