Report: Kyrie Irving has 1 prominent backer in Mavericks organization

Apr 25, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts during the second quarter of game four of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

One notable Dallas Mavericks figure appears to be on Team Kyrie Irving.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reports this week that the Mavericks are looking to find a second star to pair with Luka Doncic. Fischer adds that Dallas head coach Jason Kidd has been considered a proponent of adding the Brooklyn Nets guard Irving, who formally requested a trade this week.

Kidd, like Irving, played the point guard position during his NBA career and won a title as an assistant in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers (where he was on the same coaching staff as close Irving confidant Phil Handy). Additionally, Kidd used to be the head coach of the Nets (but never overlapped with Irving there).

The Mavericks are one of several teams that have already been named as potential Irving suitors. Doncic, meanwhile, could really use an explosive scoring threat operating next to him in the backcourt, especially after the departure of Jalen Brunson last summer. Irving’s arrival would also allow Spencer Dinwiddie, Irving’s ex-Nets teammate, to transition into a more natural sixth-man role.