Once again, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is trying to force his way onto the trade block.
Like he did this past offseason, Irving told the Nets he wants to be dealt before next week's trade deadline, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday.
While the Lakers are a prime candidate to acquire the disgruntled guard as it would reunite Irving with LeBron James -- the two won an NBA title together with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 -- there figures to be at least a few more suitors for Irving despite the constant headaches he has been known to cause.
According to Wojnarowski, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to be in the mix to potentially trade for Irving after the organization has previously toyed with the idea of trying to land the seven-time All-Star but had been unwilling to part with key assets needed to obtain Irving.
Irving going to the Mavericks would create an interesting on-court dynamic since Dallas runs its offense through MVP candidate Luka Doncic. Pairing the two ball-dominant guards might be tricky and just lead to the two taking turns to get up shots, but if Irving and Doncic could co-exist -- obviously a massive question mark -- the Mavericks would have the most talented backcourt in the NBA. Right now, the two combined average 60.5 points per game.
That might be enticing enough for the Mavericks, who currently have an average supporting cast around Doncic, to pull the trigger and try to acquire Irving, especially since the Western Conference is wide open this season as well. Dallas currently sits in fourth place.
As Wojnarowski noted, it seems like the Mavericks, among the other teams who have shown interest in Irving, will proceed with caution knowing that it only takes an instant for Irving to drum up controversy and derail a season.
But the Mavericks could see that it's finally worth the risk. And if Irving does end up in Dallas, owner Mark Cuban and head coach Jason Kidd should have a supply of ibuprofen ready to go to deal with any throbbing headaches that might come along with Irving's elite ability.
