This 3-Team Kyrie Irving Trade Idea Would Put the Eastern Conference on Notice

Kyrie Irving and the Detroit Pistons are a match made in heaven, with the future Hall of Famer delivering precisely the kind of elite secondary playmaking and dead-eye shooting the would-be East contenders need.

Per Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, the Pistons could pursue Irving, and "several staffers are fond of Irving's game, shot creation and malleability next to ball-dominant stars like [LeBron] James and Luka Doncic."

Somewhere, Cade Cunningham is nodding his head vigorously.

Let's cook up a massive three-team trade to get Irving out of Dallas, where he doesn't fit the Mavericks' timeline, and up to Detroit, where he'd slot into an ideal offensive role. And then, let's turn the Pistons into a full-on title favorite by plugging Nickeil Alexander-Walker into a rebuilt wing rotation right next to Irving.

If the Pistons could pull this off, they'd vault to the top of a muddled Eastern Conference and address virtually every offensive shortcoming that cost them last postseason.

Detroit Pistons Acquire: Kyrie Irving, Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Dallas Mavericks Acquire: Ron Holland II, Kevin Huerter, Jock Landale, Isaiah Joe, 2029 first-round swap (via DET), 2031 first-round swap (via DET)

Atlanta Hawks Acquire: John Collins*; Duncan Robinson; unprotected first-round picks in 2028, 2030 and 2032 (via DET); 2032 second-round pick (via ATL)

The Detroit Pistons' offseason was all about adding as much shooting as possible, but the lack of knockdown marksmen was only one of the team's issues last year.

Lots of numbers show the Pistons benefit from better spacing. The 2025-26 offense was 10.2 points per 100 possessions better with sharpshooter Duncan Robinson on the floor. Adding Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Gary Harris and Taurean Prince—all 40.0 percent snipers—would theoretically maintain Robinson-esque spacing for larger chunks of the game.

All that shooting only matters if someone besides Cade Cunningham can collapse the defense. And that's where Irving comes in.

The Pistons believe Ausar Thompson can carry a heavier playmaking load, but his impotent shooting means no defense will ever play him honestly. Daniss Jenkins isn't consistent enough to be the No. 2 creator.

Irving is exactly the kind of player Detroit lacks: One whose individual scoring game demands respect on the ball, and one whose elite standstill shooting means he's just as dangerous without the rock.

Meanwhile, Alexander-Walker is one of the single greatest values at his position in the league. Last year's MIP winner is an elite gunner who can defend the other team's top backcourt threat and facilitate like a combo guard when necessary. The Pistons are treating him something like the New York Knicks did Mikal Bridges years ago, when they sent out a raft of future firsts to add a player they correctly believed was a missing piece in a championship puzzle.

NAW makes even less ($15 million per season) than Bridges did, so three unprotected firsts might not even be enough. This doesn't work if the Hawks feel that way.

Detroit is firing virtually all of its bullets here, but don't tell me you're not interested in watching Irving, NAW, Cunningham, Thompson and Jalen Duren close playoff games.

Fifteen years older than Cooper Flagg, Irving may be retired by the time Dallas' cornerstone star begins his prime.

He's valuable to the current version of the Mavericks because of his ability to lighten Flagg's playmaking load, but any chemistry the two develop will be irrelevant by the time Dallas is playing meaningful games in a few years.

Dallas doesn't control any of its first-round picks through 2030, which makes acquiring young talent, movable contracts and future draft capital paramount to building an age-appropriate supporting cast around Flagg. Detroit sends over a package headlined by two unprotected swaps and Holland, plus real shooting in Joe and Huerter and an expiring $14 million salary in Landale.

Huerter and Joe could space the floor around Flagg (who'd be back in a primary playmaking role without Irving) and could be flipped at the trade deadline for additional picks. Landale's expiring contract would make him appealing to teams looking to cut money.

If it seems odd that all of the Pistons' most valuable draft assets are going to Atlanta for NAW rather than to Dallas for Irving, it shouldn't. Irving is 34, coming off a major injury and could become a free agent next summer if he declines his 2027–28 player option. Alexander-Walker may not be the bigger name, but his age, health, all-around play and contract make him the more valuable player.

Three unprotected first-rounders amount to more than the Charlotte Hornets got for LaMelo Ball. It's a better return than the Miami Heat got for Jimmy Butler. The deal that sent Jaylen Brown to Philly only involved a pair of future firsts.

Those trades certainly differ from this proposal, but the point stands: A trio of unprotected firsts is a great return—particularly for a player in Alexander-Walker who has never been an All-Star.

The Hawks also get shooting from Robinson and old friend Collins, who started his career in Atlanta. The added bonus is that both players have fully non-guaranteed salaries after this season.

In effect, Atlanta can send out roughly $32 million in expiring salary to acquire a star-level player—and now has three more first-round picks to sweeten an offer.

Those picks bolster a draft-asset collection that already included a conditional 2027 first-rounder—the less favorable of Milwaukee's and New Orleans' selections, protected for picks 1–4—and the right to exchange its own 2028 first for the less favorable of Cleveland's and Utah's selections if that pick is better.

Essentially, Atlanta is giving up Alexander-Walker, a very good player, so it can theoretically acquire the next great one that becomes available on the trade market.