The Houston Rockets have to be loving seeing their rival, the Dallas Mavericks, fall flat on their face. The Mavericks were forced to finally fire GM Nico Harrison after they got off to an awful 3-8 start.
That start and Harrison’s baffling decision-making have thrown the franchise into chaos, with them having a young star in Cooper Flagg but few ways to build around him long-term. That will almost certainly mean the Mavericks do a fire sale in the hopes of refilling their depleted draft stockpile.
Star Anthony Davis is almost certain to be moved, and of more interest to the Rockets, Kyrie Irving. Irving is still working his way back from an ACL tear and will return this season. But he makes little sense on a Mavericks team that should be rebuilding and has little hope of making the playoffs this season.
As a result, the Rockets should be interested in bringing Irving in and seeing if he has enough left in the tank to help give Houston a major boost.
Kyrie Irving could be an intriguing trade option for the Rockets
Despite him being a controversial personality and often struggling to stay healthy, he is one of the most talented players in the NBA. To his credit, he has also been on his best behavior during his time in Dallas.
Assuming that he will return ahead of the trade deadline, he could prove to teams such as the Rockets that he still can play at an All-Star level. Given that Houston needs a starting point guard, trading for him could dramatically raise their ceiling in the short term without negatively affecting them in the long term.
After all, few playoff teams can afford to match salary in a potential Irving trade, and the ones that can probably wouldn’t be interested in gutting their roster to bring him in. The Rockets, on the other hand, have the matching salary that could allow them to take a flyer on Irving.
It is risky considering that the last time he and Kevin Durant were on the same team, that team imploded, and both players demanded a trade. However, Irving has matured and has had none of the antics with the Mavericks that he had with the Brooklyn Nets.
It would also give Houston an experienced playmaker and talented shooter, something that they desperately need considering they have few shooters. As a result, the Rockets should be very interested in Irving and could look to take advantage of a rival by trading for him.
