Tim Hardaway Sr. knows the Dallas Mavericks better than most, and his recent comments cut through the noise. He says the team will not move Kyrie Irving because they need him to win. The Mavericks are 7-2 in games where Irving and Cooper Flagg play together.
The Window Is Open Now
Early in the season, rumors swirled that Dallas might ship Irving out. Those talks have died down for a good reason. The team sits at 7-5 and has won three of their last four games. Irving missed the entire previous year due to an ACL injury, so his return to form is a massive boost. He is averaging 22.9 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from the field, per The Smoking Cuban. The offense has jumped from 27th in the league last year to 12th this season.
Hardaway believes the Mavericks are aiming for a top spot in the West. Hardaway proclaimed “They gon’ make the playoffs, sure,” during a recent podcast appearance. He went further, stating the team could land as high as the fourth or fifth seed. “They gon’ be in the upper-echelon of the West, they gon’ be like 4 or 5 up there,” Hardaway said. As the No. 8 seed, the team trails the Houston Rockets by only 1.5 games for the No. 3 seed.
Why Trading Him Fails
An article titled “1 Overreaction To Every NBA Team’s Start” by Zach Buckley on November 12 asserts the Dallas Mavericks’ overreaction is “the Kyrie Irving trade chatter needs to stop.” Buckley noted that the short window with Flagg and Irving should keep speculation alive, yet the on-court results suggest otherwise. Dallas is now the most efficient isolation team in the NBA, ranking first in points per possession and scoring frequency, per The Smoking Cuban.
Irving still leads the team in isolation plays, which is crucial for breaking down tough defenses. Even though the Mavericks suffered a bad loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, the core duo remains vital. In that blowout, the starting five excluding Flagg and Irving totaled just 20 points. The team needs its stars to carry the load when the bench struggles. Hardaway is clear on this point: “I don’t think they’ll trade him because they gon’ need him,” Hardaway said.
Hardaway does not think Dallas is the best team in the conference yet. “No, they’re not going to be better than the Lakers or Timberwolves,” Hardaway added.
