NBA Offseason News/Trade/Free Agent Rumors 2026: Teams still eyeing Kyrie Irving, Heat plans

Dallas has made it clear to any team that calls they intend to start the season with Kyrie Irving as its point guard. The Mavericks need playmaking and want to see how he and Cooper Flagg mesh.

However, Irving is not the long-term answer at the point in Dallas, which is why teams around the league think the Mavericks may change their mind about holding onto Irving once the season gets underway, Marc Stein of The Stein Line Substack.

"Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches."