LeBron James’ decision last week to join the Philadelphia 76ers rocked the sports world. Prior to making the stunning announcement, LeBron had reportedly pushed for some of his suitors—most notably the Cleveland Cavaliers—to trade for former teammate Kyrie Irving.
That obviously never came to fruition, and new Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has at least said publicly that he intends for Irving to be on the Mavs’ roster for the 2026-27 season.
As we have seen, though, in arguably the most chaotic NBA off-season history, things can change in an instant.
Below, we will look at the latest buzz regarding Kyrie and a potential trade out of Dallas.
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Kyrie Irving to Philadelphia 76ers trade rumors
Philadelphia’s front office, consisting of Mike Gansey and Bob Myers, are the kings of this chaos. The Sixers not only swung a trade for former rival Jaylen Brown, but also stunningly landed LeBron.
The odd man out when it comes to this new, star-studded 76ers roster is clearly the injury-riddled Joel Embiid.
Embiid-to-the-Mavericks trade rumors were already bubbling before LeBron made his decision, as Embiid has a tight relationship with Ujiri.
Gansey and Myers would surely love to move off of Embiid’s contract. If an Embiid for Irving swap is put on the table, the Philly brass would jump at that opportunity.
Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor reported last week that the “popular theory around the league” was that LeBron was “slow-playing his decision to see if any of his suitors could find a way to land Irving or [Anthony] Davis.”
LeBron and Irving’s relationship is well-documented, as the two are tight after a few years of tension. Another Kyrie friend, turned foe, and then turned friend again is Brown. Kyrie and Brown butted heads plenty while Irving was in Boston, but the two have mended the fences, so much so that in 2022 Kyrie called Brown “a brother of mine.”
Kyrie Irving to Detroit Pistons trade rumors
The Pistons’ off-season has been rough to say the least, as the Jalen Duren contract dispute lingers.
Detroit would love to find a trade partner in a Duren deal, and the Pistons reportedly reached out near the start of free agency to the Mavericks about a potential Irving trade.
Kyrie and Cade Cunningham would make for, arguably, the best backcourt in the NBA.
That said, a Kyrie-to-the-Pistons deal this off-season remains highly unlikely as Detroit does not have many (if any) assets that Ujiri would likely be interested in.
Kyrie Irving to Minnesota Timberwolves trade rumors
The Timberwolves were another team that reportedly reached out to Dallas to inquire about a potential trade for Irving.
Minnesota was also a darkhorse candidate to land LeBron in free agency and the Timberwolves thought they had a real chance to acquire “The King” earlier this month, according to The Athletic’s David Aldridge and Joe Vardon.
It’s clear that Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are not afraid of taking big swings, as witnessed by the trade that landed LaMelo Ball, and the trade that shipped out Julius Randle.
The problem the Wolves face, though, in making another big trade is that the brunt of their top assets went to Charlotte in the deal for Ball.
This is another one that seems highly unlikely this off-season.
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