Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Almost a year into the Kyrie Irving experiment, it's safe to say that it hasn't had the impact that perhaps the Dallas Mavericks originally thought it would. With just six weeks left in the regular season, the Mavs are 8th in the Western Conference standings and aren't likely a team many believe will make a deep playoff run. If the Mavs do end up losing in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, would it be that surprising if they entered the offseason with an open mind to retool their roster around Luka Doncic?
If that's a path the Mavs end up taking this offseason, it's hard to envision them making huge changes without utilizing Kyrie via trade. With essentially one year remaining on his contract before he can test free agency, this could be the calendar year where the Mavs hit the eject button on the Kyrie trade and explore other options.
Kyrie is a really good player. But he hasn't been the franchise-altering acquisition that Dallas believed it was getting when they made the move for him at last year's NBA Trade Deadline. Kyrie trade watch could be back.