NBA trade rumor: Dallas Mavericks linked to bid farewell to $119 million veteran in a blockbuster 3-team deal prediction

Kyrie Irving, 34, hasn't played since tearing his ACL in the 2024-25 season and is now working back toward a training camp return on a three-year, $119 million Mavericks extension signed in July 2025. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley has proposed a three-team framework sending Irving and Naji Marshall to Detroit, P.J. Washington to Golden State, and a five-player package plus a 2028 first-round pick back to Dallas as the Mavericks pivot toward building around Cooper Flagg.There's now real trade speculation attached to Irving's name, even with him not yet back on an NBA floor. He's expected to be ready for training camp next month, which is exactly the kind of window a team looking to move him would want to use before health questions can resurface.CategoryDetailPlayerKyrie IrvingCurrent teamDallas MavericksRumored teamDetroit PistonsContract statusThree-year, $119 million extension signed July 2025; includes a player option for 2027-28Salary cap hitRoughly $39.5 million average annual salaryTrade likelihoodSpeculative, a Bleacher Report proposal rather than reported active talksLatest insider updateBleacher Report's Zach Buckley floated a three-team framework involving Detroit, Golden State and DallasPotential return for DallasRon Holland II, Brandin Podziemski, Daniss Jenkins, Moses Moody, Duncan Robinson and a 2028 first-round pickWhy Kyrie Irving's situation has put the Dallas Mavericks in a complicated situationKyrie Irving's 2024-25 season was efficient by any measure: 24.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds a night on career-caliber shooting splits. Then the ACL tear ended his year and put a question mark over what he looks like at 34 coming off a major knee injury.Dallas signed him to a three-year extension just two months before that injury, and the front office under new decision-maker Masai Ujiri has since made a series of moves that point toward rebuilding around Flagg rather than chasing wins with a 34-year-old veteran.Contract: three years, $119 million, signed July 2025, includes a 2027-28 player option2024-25 stats: 24.7 PPG, 4.6 APG, 4.8 RPG, 47.3 FG%, 40.1 3PT%Current status: recovering from a torn ACL, targeting training camp for his returnThree-team trade idea: what it solves for Detroit and DallasBleacher Report’s Zach Buckley's framework pairs Irving with Cade Cunningham in Detroit, sends Washington to Golden State to balance salaries, and routes a Dallas-heavy package of young players and a first-round pick back to the Mavericks.Detroit is the team with the clearest need here. The Pistons made the East's No. 1 seed last season and want a proven co-star next to Cunningham without disrupting Amen Thompson and Jalen Duren. Golden State's side of the deal is about matching money while getting an on-court upgrade in Washington as it looks to keep competing around Stephen Curry. For Dallas, the return isn't about winning now. It's about collecting draft capital and cheap, young talent while Irving's trade value is still tied to his pre-injury form.Hypothetical trade structureDetroit receives: Kyrie Irving, Naji MarshallGolden State receives: P.J. Washington, Taurean Prince, 2027 second-round pick (via Detroit), 2028 second-round pick (via Detroit)Dallas receives: Ron Holland II, Brandin Podziemski, Daniss Jenkins, Moses Moody, Duncan Robinson, 2028 first-round pick (via Detroit)Player profiles and 2024-25 performance snapshotPlayerAgeTeam in dealContract statusNotesKyrie Irving$34DAL to DET3-yr, $119M extension (2027-28 player option)24.7 PPG, 47.3 FG%, 40.1 3PT% in 2024-25; missed 2025-26 with ACL tearWhat Detroit Pistons gain from this moveIrving gives Detroit a proven playmaker next to Cunningham, someone who can share ball-handling duties in a lineup that already includes Thompson and Duren. Marshall fits as a complementary wing piece who's already on a fresh extension and entering his prime. The obvious risk is the ACL recovery itself, since Irving hasn't played a competitive minute since the injury, but Detroit is betting his return timeline holds and that a healthy Irving still looks like the player who averaged nearly 25 points a night in 2024-25.What Dallas Mavericks and Golden State get in returnDallas comes away with five players who average 23 years old collectively, headlined by Holland and Jenkins, both Dallas natives, plus Podziemski, Moody and Robinson, who addresses a three-point shooting weakness from last season. Add the 2028 first-round pick from Detroit, stacking onto Dallas's existing first-round pick swap with Oklahoma City, and the Mavericks walk away with two shots at building further around Flagg. Golden State's return is smaller in scope: Washington as a direct upgrade at forward, while shedding Podziemski and Moody to make the money work and keep pushing to compete around Curry.Cunningham getting a co-star of Irving's caliber, even one coming off a serious injury, does more for Detroit's ceiling than a stack of youth and picks does for a Dallas team still years from contending. The whole deal hinges on one thing neither team controls yet: whether Irving looks like himself when training camp actually starts next month.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.