Despite some initial speculation that Kyrie Irving would return to the court for the Mavericks after the All-Star Game, the team announced on Wednesday that the veteran guard would sit out the remainder of the 2025-26 season in an attempt to fully recover from a torn ACL. Irving last appeared for Dallas on March 3 of last season.
Although the news is disappointing for Mavericks fans and Irving fans, it is not all that shocking. Dallas is currently riding a nine-game losing streak and sits at 19-35 — 12th place in the Western Conference and seven games back of the Play-In. There is little to no incentive for the team to win over the final two months of the season, and therefore little incentive to rush a player like Irving back, who will turn 34-years-old in March.
In 50 games in 2024-25, Irving was an All-Star, averaging 24.7 points and 4.6 assists per game, all while shooting 40.1% from three-point range. It obviously remains to be seen how effective the former first-overall pick will be when he finally does return to action, yet in theory, he’ll form a high-upside core with Cooper Flagg and what is surely to be another Top 10 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
The Mavericks will open the second-half of their regular season on Friday in Minnesota, where they are 11.5-point underdogs against the Timberwolves on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
