Cooper Flagg Trade Idea Sends Kyrie Irving to Timberwolves
Bleacher Report floated a cooper flagg-linked trade idea that would send Kyrie Irving from the Dallas Mavericks to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with three first-round assets going the other way. The proposal is built around Minnesota’s need for more offense after a postseason run that still ended with an 108.1 offensive rating, the lowest of any playoff team to log at least 10 games.
Irving To Minnesota
The target in the proposal is Irving, a 34-year-old nine-time NBA All-Star who averaged 24.7 points and 4.6 assists for Dallas in 2024-25. He also shot 47.3 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three and 91.6 percent from the free throw line.
He has not played since March of 2025, which gives the move a real risk-reward edge for Minnesota. Even so, the idea points to a player with championship experience and one of the most gifted offensive profiles of his generation.
Dallas Asset Return
In the proposed deal, Dallas would receive Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, the 2026 first-round pick at No. 28, a 2030 first-round swap and a 2033 first-round pick with lottery protection. That is a heavy haul for a team whose own draft board is already squeezed.
Dallas cannot trade one of its own first-round picks until 2031, owes a top-two protected first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets next year, has swap rights on its 2028 first-round pick held by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and has its 2029 first-round pick headed to either the Houston Rockets or Brooklyn Nets. The trade idea leans hard into that reality, turning a limited pick base into multiple chances to reshape the roster.
Randle’s Price Tag
Randle is not a simple salary match. Dallas would be taking on $33.3 million before a $35.8 million player option in 2027-28, which gives the Mavericks another expensive veteran to weigh against the pick package.
That is the friction point in the proposal: Minnesota would be betting on Irving’s scoring punch, while Dallas would be paying for flexibility, depth and future draft control. The Wolves have won five playoff series over the last three seasons and reached the Western Conference Finals twice, but the proposed move says they may not see a path forward by running it back with Randle in the same role.
For Minnesota, the question is whether Irving’s shot-making can lift an offense that was too easy to scheme against. For Dallas, the proposal asks whether a contender can justify sending out a player of Irving’s caliber while collecting a first-round pick, a swap and two rotation pieces in return.
