NBA writer thinks Mavericks' Kyrie Irving wants to join longtime rival

The Dallas Mavericks' main priority this summer is re-signing star point guard Kyrie Irving.

Dallas traded for Irving right before the trade deadline last season, and it turned out to be one of the biggest blockbuster trades in Mavericks' history. They sent the Brooklyn Nets Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and multiple picks in exchange for Irving and Markieff Morris.

The Mavs plummeted in the standings after this trade and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Now Dallas has to make the moves necessary to return to the playoffs, and that starts with re-signing Irving.

NBA writer thinks Mavericks' Kyrie Irving wants to join longtime rival

As bad as the Mavericks want to re-sign Irving, one NBA beat writer thinks Irving wants to sign elsewhere.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel was on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Wednesday morning and discussed the possibility of Irving signing with the Miami Heat.

"I think Kyrie would love to be here (in Miami). That doesn't mean the Heat would love to have him here...I do think Kyrie Irving wants to come here."

Ira Winderman

Winderman has been covering the Heat for 45 years and thinks Irving wants to sign with the Heat. He doesn't think that it's going to happen, but he thinks that is what Kyrie wants.

Sure, he's just a beat writer talking about the team he covers and the possibility of them signing Kyrie, but him saying this is coming at the worst time for Mavs' fans regardless of the practicality of the trade.

The rumors of the Houston Rockets possibly pursuing Irving if they can't land Harden in free agency broke a few days ago, and now it seems that more teams will be chasing him in free agency.

Losing Kyrie to Miami would be tragic. The Mavericks have battled the Heat twice in the NBA Finals in the last 20 years, and the Mavericks got their first NBA Championship over the Heat in 2011. Having a player they traded so much for leave to the team that Dallas has battled twice in the NBA Finals is not ideal.

It once seemed like no one was going to contest Dallas' efforts to retain Irving, but things seem to be changing quickly as the official start of free agency approaches. Players can start negotiating contracts with teams on June 30 and can officially sign on July 6.

Stay tuned to see what happens with Kyrie and if he ends up staying in Dallas. The Mavericks will do whatever they can to keep him in Dallas, but it may be harder than expected. Kyrie is in "no rush" to make a decision in free agency, so buckle up.