Kyrie Irving is in an odd predicament. In his mid-30s, he's both coming off an ACL tear and playing for a Dallas Mavericks team in the midst of a rebuild. At this stage of his career, he is best off on a team competing right now, and that includes the dwindling opportunities to get revenge on the Boston Celtics. The one team who would make sense is the Detroit Pistons.
Such an idea was floated before the Pistons lost again today.
I want to see Kyrie Irving play for the Pistons next season.
— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) April 25, 2026
The Pistons are in a not good spot right now. They are down 2-1 to the Orlando Magic and amongs their issues has been their lack of a secondary creator next to Cade Cunningham. For what it's worth, Cunningham hasn't been that bad, but Orlando has more or less dared Detroit to beat them with someone besides him, and they've come up short.
Quite the contrast from the team that lost to the Celtics B squad two weeks ago. Even if the Pistons prevail in the end, this isn't a good look for a No. 1 seed and creates major cause for concern going forward. Cunningham is fantastic, but it's clear Detroit needs more than him.
Regardless of where they finish, someone like Irving fits their agenda.
Kyrie would get another shot at the Celtics
This idea has been floated before, although to a different Celtics rival: the Milwaukee Bucks. The difference between the Bucks and Pistons is substantial. One is a fallen contender whose fallen on such hard times that it may not even matter if Irving even becomes available.
The Pistons are on the rise and have in fact surprised a lot of people this past season. All they need is just that one additional elite creator to raise their ceiling. Love or hate Irving - you'd be more likely to find the holy grail than find a Celtics fan who would choose the former - no one can deny that Irving is best used as a second-in-command, which has helped four of his teams reach the NBA Finals.
Plus, he would get the chance to stick it to the one former team he hates the most. Irving's track record against Boston since leaving in 2019 is laughably bad, particularly recently. After starting 7-1 (including playoffs), Irving has since gone 2-13 (including playoffs).
Irving has honed up to failing as a leader when he was a Celtic, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't relish the challenge in beating them again. The Pistons could give him a better chance than most teams in the NBA.
But it should be clear that there have been no indications that the Mavericks want to trade Irving, but it does feel like it's coming, and when it does, don't be surprised if the Pistons give them a call.
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