Proposed Rockets trade would reunite Kyrie Irving with Kevin Durant in Houston

A Sports Illustrated proposal has Houston offering Fred VanVleet and draft picks for Kyrie Irving, while an insider says Dallas would let the guard seek a move.

Kyrie Irving has emerged as a suggested trade target for the Houston Rockets, with Sports Illustrated writer Eric Jay Santos proposing that the club send guard Fred VanVleet and draft compensation to the Dallas Mavericks to acquire him. The concept is built around pairing Irving with Kevin Durant as Houston tries to position itself for a serious postseason run.

Santos set firm boundaries on what Houston should be willing to move. In his assessment, Durant, Thompson and Sengun should be treated as untouchables in any negotiation, and a package centered on VanVleet would be the most sensible foundation for a deal. He also argued that including draft picks should not register as a major sacrifice for a franchise already stocked with young talent. Protecting that trio, in his framing, would let Houston chase an upgrade without giving up the players it regards as central.

Contract timing is a key part of the equation. Irving is in the final year of his $118 million deal with the Mavericks, meaning any team trading for him would be acquiring a player whose agreement covers only the remainder of the season.

Dallas's willingness to engage could depend on Irving himself. NBA insider Marc Spears has said he believes the Mavericks would allow the veteran guard to seek a trade if he decides he wants out, and that the two sides could work together on an arrangement rather than letting the situation turn ugly. Spears added that there would be interest in Irving around the league provided he is healthy.

The draw for Houston is a reunion of two former Brooklyn Nets teammates. Durant and Irving previously played together in Brooklyn, and both have spoken since about their shared belief that the pairing should have produced a championship during that stint. Bringing them back together is framed as the central appeal of the proposed move.

The proposal follows an eventful NBA offseason defined by blockbuster trades, major signings and a wave of new faces across rosters. It also featured its share of drama, much of it involving Durant, whose name circulated in trade chatter that at one point connected him to the Detroit Pistons.

Two league sources with knowledge of the situation told ClutchPoints, in a report cited by NBA insider Brett Siegel, that Detroit was determined to find a workable route to acquiring Durant, but nothing came of a three-team concept, and brief discussions involving Houston alone also failed to produce a deal. The same reporting indicated Durant would be interested in sharing the floor with Pistons star Cade Cunningham.

At this stage, the Irving scenario exists only as a proposal, with no agreement between the teams reported. The underlying logic is that Houston is chasing a championship with Durant as the centerpiece, and Santos contends that adding Irving would lift the offense to another level.