Kyrie Irving is not a popular man in Boston. This has been the case for quite some time after his tenure with the Celtics came to an end.
It is hard for fans to forgive someone who publicly said they wanted to be with the franchise for life, only to see them turn around and sign with a division rival as a free agent. That's exactly what Irving did when he up and left Boston to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
To the surprise of no one, Irving's stay in Brooklyn was not much longer than his time in Boston, as he, once again, forced a trade to a new team and landed with the Dallas Mavericks, where he was expected to team with Luka Doncic.
Malcolm Brogdon Emerging as Potential Irving Injury Replacement
We all know how the start of Kyrie's tenure in Dallas played out. Doncic is a Laker, and Irving is coming off a torn ACL, which could impact his availability for the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Now, Irving may need help from a former Celtics guard to help carry the load while he is sidelined.
According to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com, veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon is on the radar of the Mavericks' front office as a potential fill-in for Irving while he works his way back to the court. After appearing in 24 games for the Washington Wizards this past season, the former University of Virginia standout is an unrestricted free agent and will not be returning to the nation's capital.
Celtics fans remember Brogdon well from his time in Boston as he won Sixth Man of the Year honors during his lone season in Boston, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in just 26 minutes per game.
It is hard to imagine Brogdon being that effective in Dallas if the Mavericks were to sign him, as he will turn 33 years old this season. However, his game was never built on athleticism, so perhaps the latter chapters of his career will not feature as significant a drop as we've seen from other point guards in recent years.