How Kyrie Irving and Anthony Edwards Could Team Up in a Blockbuster Trade

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have won five playoff series over the last three seasons, reaching the Western Conference Finals twice.

Yet somehow, they feel further away from competitive relevance than ever.

Minnesota can't give in as the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder wage basketball war on a level that seems unreachable for every other team. It has to regroup, retool and reload. That'll start with juicing an offense that consistently overburdens Edwards and fails to stress the league's best opposing defenses.

The Wolves' target: nine-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, aged 34 and coming off a season lost to a torn ACL.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Trade

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Minnesota Acquires: Kyrie Irving

Dallas Acquires: Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, 2026 first-round pick (No. 28), 2030 first-round swap, 2033 first-round pick (lottery-protected)

Why Minnesota Does It

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Minnesota's postseason offensive rating of 108.1 was the lowest of any playoff team to log at least 10 games; yet another signal that this team's attack isn't contender-caliber.

Put simply, the Wolves are too easy to scheme against. Randle's ball-stopping and wildly inconsistent outside shooting mean he cannot be relied upon as a secondary creator. It certainly didn't help that DiVincenzo went down with a torn Achilles early in the playoffs, but his absence wasn't the reason Minnesota struggled so badly.

Since Edwards' ascent to stardom, the Wolves just haven't had someone good enough to punish opponents who force the rock out of Ant's hands.

Irving, if healthy, could change that.

An NBA All-Star in 2024-25, Irving put up 24.7 points and 4.6 assists on a 47.3/40.1/91.6 shooting split for the Dallas Mavericks. Durability will be an enormous concern, but there's little doubt that Irving is still skilled and efficient enough to run a team on his own. Here, he'd only have to do that on a part-time basis. In fact, long stretches as a spacer and second-side attacker could spare Irving some wear and tear, potentially prolonging the end of his prime.

Irving is set to make $39.5 million in 2026-27 with a $42.4 million player option for 2027-28 and hasn't seen the floor since March of 2025. The risks are clear: Irving could be a shell of himself, or he could struggle to stay healthy. But Minnesota knows it can't get where it wants to go by running it back with Randle in the same role and hoping Ayo Dosunmu can scare defenses into playing Edwards honestly.

Irving has championship experience and is one of the most gifted offensive players of his generation. At the very least, he'll command the respect of opponents, changing the way they defend and dispersing the crowd that always surrounds Edwards in the playoffs.

Why Dallas Does It

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The Mavericks can't trade one of their own first-round picks until 2031 and owe a top-two protected first-rounder to the Charlotte Hornets next year. The Oklahoma City Thunder have swap rights on Dallas' 2028 first-rounder, and 2029 is headed to either the Houston Rockets or Brooklyn Nets.

You get the idea. Dallas is short on assets and can't pass up the chance to acquire three first-round picks in this deal—even if none of them are of premium quality.

Most will argue three first-rounders of any kind are way too much for the Wolves to give up for Irving, given his age and recent injury. But Minnesota is also paying to get out of Randle's deal, which will require Dallas to give him $33.3 million before a $35.8 million player option in 2027-28.

It's possible the Mavs could flip Randle for neutral or slightly positive value if he plays well next to Cooper Flagg, while DiVincenzo's expiring salary could also be part of a deadline deal. Don't rule out Dallas turning both of those players into more future assets.

Ultimately, the Mavs' interest in this deal hinges on two key assumptions.

The first is that trading Irving now is the best way to insulate themselves against the risk of his decline. If Irving starts the season slowly, doesn't look like himself or can't stay on the floor, his value is going to crater. A proactive trade shifts that risk to another team.

Secondly, we're operating as if new Mavericks President Masai Ujiri plans to rebuild somewhat gradually around Flagg. That's the only way a package of iffy money and first-rounders makes sense for the organization. Given Flagg's youth and the immense talent upgrades Dallas would need to be relevant in the West, asset accumulation seems like the right move.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.