Masai Ujiri, newly hired as president and alternate governor of the Dallas Mavericks, said he has spoken with Kyrie Irving and wants to figure out how the nine-time All-Star could fit alongside 19-year-old Cooper Flagg as the franchise retools around its rookie centerpiece.
"Kevin Durant once told me that there’s only one Kyrie walking around in the world," Ujiri said, and he added plainly, "Yeah, I think we have to figure out a way how Kyrie fits with our program." Ujiri also said, "I’ve had those conversations with Kyrie," and that "I think Kyrie will fit."
The comments come as HoopsHype reported it gathered the latest intel on Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard after the NBA Draft Combine and through the Conference Finals, and as Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz framed the possible pairing as tantalizing on paper. Schmitz called it "That’s something you dream of" and said, "Having a magician with the ball like that who can pass, dribble, shoot, and someone with the connective qualities of Cooper. It’s a match made in Heaven."
Those endorsements carry measurable downside and upside. Irving, who turned 34 this year, is coming off a torn left ACL. He is owed $39.49 million for the 2026-27 season and holds a $42.42 million player option for 2027-28. League executives, Ujiri said, share "a huge curiosity in our minds to see how Kyrie fits playing with Cooper Flagg" — and are monitoring how Irving returns to play and how quickly any new pairing could be expected to contribute.
Ujiri has been explicit that everything going forward is about Flagg’s development and "building around the 19-year-old phenom." The Mavericks will have a top-10 pick in the draft in consecutive years for the first time since 2017 and 2018, giving Dallas additional means to accelerate roster construction while evaluating how veteran additions like Irving might slot in. Schmitz said Dallas can still use its pick to get a "rotation-level player," underscoring that the team expects multiple pathways to competitiveness.
The organizational reset extends beyond player talk. The Mavericks have expressed interest in adding Philadelphia’s Prosper Karangwa to their front office, and Toronto’s director of global scouting, Patrick Englebrecht, is a candidate to reunite with Ujiri in Dallas; Ujiri and Englebrecht worked together starting in the 2013-14 season. Ujiri framed the potential chase for Irving as partly an obligation to the franchise: "I think we owe this organization that."
Still, the friction in the plan is obvious. A 34-year-old guard coming off a major knee injury carries medical uncertainty and a hefty remaining contract, and the timetable for Flagg's growth and Irving's recovery may not align neatly. Ujiri’s confidence that "He’s just that kind of like an incredible talent and player" meets Schmitz’s on-paper chemistry, but the most consequential practical question remains unanswered: will Irving return at a level and on a timeline that makes pairing him with Cooper Flagg more than a headline?
The next season will answer parts of that question as medical reports, training-camp availability and the Mavericks’ draft choices crystallize. For now, Ujiri has put his voice behind the experiment, and the league will be watching whether Dallas can convert curiosity into a functioning lineup around its 19-year-old cornerstone.
