NBA Rumors: The trade that would end with Kyrie Irving in Orlando Magic

The Dallas Mavericks are no longer the team revolving around Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. After Dončić's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers last year, the Texan franchise completely changed its course and found its new leader by winning the draft lottery and selecting Cooper Flagg as the new face of the project.

The moves didn't stop there. In the last trade deadline, Dallas also traded Anthony Davis, and all indications are that Irving could be the next to leave during the summer, aiming to definitively hand over the team's reins to the young talent.

The guard has not played any games this season after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Last month, player and franchise announced that he will not return to play for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Irving still has one guaranteed year on his contract, worth $39 million, in addition to a player option for the following season amounting to $42.4 million. If Dallas decides to seek his exit, potential destinations are beginning to emerge.

Trade Proposal with Orlando

One of the proposed ideas, in this case by journalist Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, would send Irving to the Orlando Magic, while the Mavericks would receive Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac. Orlando has been on the verge of making the leap in the Eastern Conference for several seasons but has not quite established itself among the top teams.

One of the highlighted deficiencies has been the lack of a top-level point guard capable of leading the offense in crucial moments. Irving, an NBA champion and nine-time All-Star, could fill that gap. The team already has a powerful offensive trio led by Paolo Banchero, accompanied by Franz Wagner—when he is healthy—and Desmond Bane, all capable of averaging over 20 points per game.

The arrival of the guard would add another offensive threat and reduce the defensive pressure on them. For the Mavericks, the deal would make sense within their rebuilding process. Suggs would provide high-level exterior defense, intensity, and constant ball pressure, while Isaac would offer interior presence.

The center, standing at 2.11 meters tall with a wingspan close to 2.18 meters, plays limited minutes but stands out for his shot-blocking ability, something that could fit in a team aiming to build from defense while developing Flagg. Everything indicates that Dallas is looking to start a completely new era, with Flagg as the central piece. If Irving indeed departs this summer, it will confirm the definitive end of the previous era and the beginning of a project clearly focused on the future.