Kyrie Irving Rumors: Mavs' Chances of Trading for Nets Star 'Downplayed' by Insiders

The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to Kyrie Irving since the guard's trade request from the Brooklyn Nets, but the two sides are still far from an agreement.

"League sources with knowledge of the Mavericks' thinking downplayed the team's chances of landing Irving in a trade," Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reported.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns expressed interest in Irving following Friday's trade request, and he added the Mavericks were "expected" to also show interest. Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times also named the Mavs among the teams involved, with the Miami Heat also reportedly interested.

Dallas would certainly represent a logical fit as the team looks to take the next step after reaching the Western Conference Finals a year ago. The squad sits in fourth place in the West entering Saturday with a 28-25 record.

Luka Dončić is headed to his fourth straight All-Star game and is averaging a career-best 33.4 points per game, but he's gotten little help offensively this season, especially with Christian Wood out with a thumb injury.

Spencer Dinwiddie and Tim Hardaway Jr. are the only other Mavericks players currently averaging double figures.

According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the Mavericks are "desperate and determined to get help for Luka Dončić before he passes out from exhaustion in carrying that franchise."

Goodwill argued head coach Jason Kidd wouldn't mind dealing with Irving, "taking the headache because the production comes along with it."

The "headache" refers to Irving's tendency to put himself in the headlines for reasons other than basketball. Most notably this season, he was suspended for eight games after promoting an antisemitic film on his social media and then initially refusing to apologize or condemn antisemitism.

Irving has been a difference-maker when on the court this season, 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, earning his eighth career All-Star selection. Pairing him with Dončić could create one of the top backcourts in the NBA and a fearsome duo heading into the playoffs.

There is still significant risk for Dallas, which showed last year it can compete without a second All-Star. With Irving set to become a free agent, the Mavericks could be paying a lot in a trade for just a short-term rental.

It could keep the Mavericks from completing a deal ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline.