NBA Trades: 12 stars that will likely change teams by next season

NBA Star #3: Kyrie Irving

After being acquired midseason by the Dallas Mavericks, star Kyrie Irving will soon become a free agent this summer, though he could be signed and traded to another team. This is especially true after he has been linked to a couple of teams, including the Rockets and Lakers, though the Rockets can afford to sign him outright. The Lakers definitely can’t and would need the Mavericks’ help, something that they don’t appear to be willing to do, particularly for a team in their own conference.

In fact, Dallas could play hardball with Irving, knowing that only a few teams seem interested in bringing in a talented but polarizing player, and the Mavericks can offer him more. They also have a top-10 player in Luka Doncic to pair him with, though they somehow managed to miss the playoffs last season even with Irving and Doncic.

For those reasons, it seems more likely than not that he will re-sign with Dallas, but Irving is known for his unpredictability, so his return is far from a guarantee. Thus, there is a small chance that he ends up with another team out west.