The Brooklyn Nets are still playing basketball without Kyrie Irving, whose refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has led to the team telling him to stay home because they do not want him to be a part-time player. Irving cannot play in home games due to New York City’s current vaccine mandate, which does not appear to be going away any time soon.
As a result, there are questions about whether or not the Nets will try to wait this out or look to trade him in an attempt to surround Kevin Durant and James Harden with more talent amid their championship push this season. According to a report by Ian Begley of SNY, this piqued the interest of the Dallas Mavericks, which reportedly got in touch about a potential Irving deal.
Begley’s report indicates that, at some point during the conversation, Kristaps Porzingis’ name was thrown around, but it is unclear if the Mavericks implied they’d be willing to part ways with him or the Nets asked about his availability in a deal. After the report became public, Mavs owner Mark Cuban refuted it to Marc Stein.
Just spoke to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who says his team, contrary to reports, has had no trade discussions with the Nets about Kyrie Irving.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 14, 2021
Dallas would, in theory, be quite the trade partner for Irving. Beyond the fact that Texas does not have this sort of mandate — Mavericks guard Trey Burke has said he will not get the COVID vaccine — Irving would give the Mavericks a perimeter creator who can take some of the load off of Luka Doncic, while the Nets would be able to get back a package of players that add depth around their two stars. With players who signed contracts this offseason becoming eligible for trades beginning on Dec. 15, perhaps the market for an Irving trade will heat up, and Dallas could find themselves among his potential suitors.