With the Mavericks continuing to build around Cooper Flagg and bringing in a new head coach in Dusty May this past offseason, they entered the 2026-27 season as one candidate to flip a veteran or two this season.
Should Dallas fall out of playoff contention, players like P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall or Daniel Gafford could become available as the team eyes the future behind Flagg. Perhaps the biggest potential trade chip the Mavericks have, though, is Kyrie Irving.
The 34-year-old is making his return from injury this season, but has become a highly speculated trade candidate for top contenders to add a dynamic guard — and with the Heat off to a poor start to the year, one rumor has led to viral posts about Irving joining Miami.
Here's why the trade speculation surrounding Irving is nothing more, for the time being.
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Is Kyrie Irving going to the Heat?
Entering the 2026-27 season, Irving was already being mentioned as a trade candidate considering his status as a veteran star on a younger team. However, there hadn't been much concrete reporting on whether Irving will be moved until earlier this week.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that multiple teams are interested in acquiring Irving,
"There's a slew of teams now that are monitoring Kyrie Irving," Charania said on "The Pat McAfee Show."
Charania also mentioned that the Heat would be a potential fit for Irving, needing a guard next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. However, he noted that Miami doesn't have a lot of trade ammo after acquiring Antetokounmpo.
"I'm sure knowing the Heat, they're going to be monitoring Kyrie Irving," Charania said. "But there's gonna be several teams interested in Kyrie Irving. The question is if you're Miami, what can you give for Kyrie Irving? You already traded away three first-round picks and a swap and other assets to go get Giannis Antetokounmpo to bring to this team."
Shams on Kyrie Irving and the Miami Heat: “They are going to be monitoring Kyrie Irving. The question is, if you’re Miami, what can you give for Kyrie Irving? — I believe they have 1 first round pick they can trade. Is that enough to get Kyrie Irving? My sense, is probably not. I think the price would be higher than that.” KYRIE WOULD BE A PERFECT FIT.
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) October 29, 2026For now, Charania's reporting that teams are "monitoring" Irving is the furthest inclination that he could be traded. But in the days to follow, some viral posts indicated that a trade was imminent.
For example, on Thursday, one X account shared a post saying that Dallas and Miami were discussing a trade involving Irving in exchange for Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic and draft capital. But there hasn't been any real reporting done to suggest that is the case.
The post has over 500,000 views, but doesn't appear to have any factual backing at the time.
The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly discussing a trade that would send Kyrie Irving to Miami, while Dallas would go into full rebuild mode around Cooper Flagg. Miami Heat receive: - Kyrie Irving Dallas Mavericks receive: - Nikola Jović - Pelle Larsson - 2028 1st Round Pick - 2029 2nd Round Pick - 2030 1st Round Pick Imagine this lineup 🔥
— Basketball Ground (@BBallGround) October 30, 2026It's certainly possible that Irving is traded by this year's deadline if Dallas falls out of contention early in the season, but for now, a move isn't imminent. Should the Mavericks become a surprise playoff contender behind Flagg and Irving, things could certainly change.
