NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Kyrie Irving’s season is over after he suffered an ACL tear against the Sacramento Kings Monday night. The injury is absolutely heartbreaking. Irving has been one of the most fun people to watch in the NBA since he was taken first overall in the 2011 draft and has become a key piece to a Dallas Mavericks team that made it to the Finals last season.
During the 2024 NBA trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets traded P.J. Washington to the Mavs for Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a 2027 top-two protected first-round pick. Dallas traded those pieces to help build around young star Luka Doncic and veteran leader Irving. The move obviously was worth it leading the Mavs to the 2024 Finals. However, the organization has since pivoted its entire timeline.
The Mavs' dire situation can help the Hornets' rebuild
In the past offseason, the Mavs pulled off a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors to bring in now 35-year-old Klay Thompson. They didn’t stop there, however, as months later, they traded 25-year-old MVP candidate Doncic to the Lakers for 31-year-old Anthony Davis as well as Max Christie. This pushed the their timeline forward by several years.
The age also isn’t the only concern around their Big 3. With this Kyrie injury, each of them has had major injury concerns in their past.
Davis has played more than the 65-game end-of-year award requirement only once in the past seven seasons. CBS also reported that with the Irving slated to sit out several months, the superstar big man may also be parked for the rest of the season with his left adductor injury.
Thompson may have the worst history of the three with injuries. He tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and missed the following season, only to suffer a torn Achilles while finishing up his rehab for his ACL injury causing him to miss an additional year. While the sharpshooter's play took a dip after coming back from his injury, he still has contributed to winning basketball helping the Warriors win a title in 2022.
There is a real possibility that with the Mavs' current core, the squad's 2026-27 season can be underwhelming. The Hornets could really benefit from having that juicy 2027 pick for multiple reasons.
The most straightforward route for the Hornets is use the pick in the 2027 draft and and hope that it ends up being a very good selection for them.
However, that isn't the only option for Jeff Peterson and the Charlotte front office. The Hornets could also use the pick in a trade this offseason and capitalize on its potential value to upgrade the roster. The Hornets have made it known that the 2024-25 campaign would be an evaluation season to see who they are going to keep on the roster moving forward. There is a world where this coming offseason, there is a disgruntled star who fits the Hornets’ roster and timeline, and they use contracts and draft picks including the 2027 Mavs pick to make that trade a reality.
The opportunities are endless for this pick now with the current situation in Dallas. While it makes me so sad as a fan of basketball and Irving, I am using the positivity of the potential benefits for the Hornets as a way to cope with those feelings.