Stop listening to the noise. Kyrie Irving isn’t going anywhere, and those trade rumors? Just hot air. The Mavericks got a new coach and a fresh roster, but they won’t move their star guard. Mavs Moneyball lays out the case clearly: Irving is here to stay. The team needs his scoring touch to help a young rookie carry the load. Any talk of shipping him out ignores the math of the Western Conference.
No One Else Can Carry the Load
The team just watched Cooper Flagg take a huge hit last season. The 19-year-old rookie averaged 21.0 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing 33.5 minutes per game. That is a massive burden for an 18-year-old to handle alone. According to Mavs Moneyball, Flagg had the highest usage rate among all rookies at 26.9 percent. He played 2,344 total minutes, more than any other first-year player. He needs help.
Without Irving, the Mavericks have no one else who can create shots. The roster lists only six guards out of 19 total players. Max Christie and Marcus Sasser are solid, but they aren’t stars. The drop-off in shooting and playmaking after Irving is steep. Mavs Moneyball notes that the team needs Irving to make noise in the West. Even if he’s at 70 percent after his ACL injury, he’s still the best option they have. A 70 percent Kyrie Irving is better than 100 percent of the other guards on the roster.
The West Is Wide Open
The Western Conference took a step back this summer. That means Dallas has a real shot to bounce back. Because the Mavericks lack ownership of their first-round picks until 2031, they possess zero incentive to tank. They need to win now. Trading Irving would hurt their chances of a deep playoff run. The report says that the team is looking for a major bounce-back year. Keeping Irving is the only way to get there.
Consider the matchup against other teams. If Irving is on the floor, defenses can’t just swarm Flagg. They have to respect the star guard. This opens up the court for the rookie to move without the ball. Irving averaged 24.7 points and 4.6 assists before his injury. Those numbers show why he’s the perfect partner for Flagg. The duo will be exciting to watch, but it’s also a necessity for winning. The West isn’t as deep as it was a few years ago. Dallas has the pieces to make a run if they stay the course.
The summer was busy with new faces and a new president. But the core remains the same. The Mavericks aren’t blowing up the roster. They’re building around their best talent. The trade buzz is a distraction. The facts show that Irving is the key to unlocking Flagg’s potential. The team won’t trade him away. They need him to compete. The season starts in less than two months. The plan is clear. Keep Irving.
