One scenario that seemingly every Dallas Mavericks fan struggles to get over is the entire Jalen Brunson free agency in the summer of 2022.

Brunson was coming off an outstanding playoff run with the Mavs, and while Dallas wanted to re-sign him, he headed to the New York Knicks. Dallas lost Brunson for nothing, and after arriving in New York, Brunson became a star.

He averaged 24 points per game in his first season with the Knicks, and his scoring skyrocketed in year two with New York as he averaged 28.7 points per game and made his first NBA All-Star Game. Many Mavs fans wish that Dallas had extended Brunson during the regular season, but one NBA insider’s report may make fans pump the brakes with their Brunson opinions.

NBA insider Tim MacMahon of ESPN appeared on The Knicks Film School Podcast, and he said that even if Brunson did re-sign with the Mavs, there would’ve been a “high likelihood” that he would’ve been traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving that following season.

Dallas made their own trade for Irving that season that included Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and draft capital heading to the Brooklyn Nets, and MacMahon believes that the Mavs trading Brunson for Irving could’ve helped them keep Finney-Smith out of the trade, and maybe even the first-round pick.

Losing Finney-Smith was brutal for Mavs fans considering all he did for the franchise over his six and a half seasons with the team, and although that would’ve been huge for Dallas if they could’ve kept him, the main takeaway from MacMahon’s speculation is that Brunson could’ve been dealt even if the Mavs re-signed him, and he mentioned Mark Cuban’s history of “chasing stars.”

This could make some Mavs fans feel better about the team losing Brunson over two years ago, but it still stings to see him dominate elsewhere considering that the Mavs had the opportunity to have him back in Dallas.

Irving has been excellent in his role in Dallas, and he is arguably an upgrade over Brunson right now. Last season for Dallas, Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from downtown.

He has been phenomenal ever since he stepped foot in Dallas, and his leadership for the team has been massive for them over the last year and a half. Irving has a steady hand even in the toughest situations, and Dallas seems to be the perfect situation for him.

It seems like Irving was always destined to end up in Dallas, but the possibility of Brunson landing with the Nets is wild. The Knicks seem to be the optimal situation for Brunson, but it’s crazy to think about how this trade could’ve changed both Dallas and the Nets.