Kyrie Irving will stay with the Mavericks for the near future. Irving is set to sign a three-year, $119 million extension with Dallas, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Irving is rehabbing his torn ACL he suffered in March, but he at least gets some long-term security beyond just the upcoming 2025-26 season. The former Celtics guard declined his $43 million player option for next season to sign the extension.
The Mavericks are in an interesting spot as a franchise despite moving star Luka Doncic to the Lakers at last season’s trade deadline. The lottery balls improbably fell their way as they land the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. That means Maine native Cooper Flagg is set to be the franchise’s next star.
As part of the Doncic trade, the Mavs did get Anthony Davis. Dallas could be a potential playoff contender, though Irving is expected to miss a significant portion of next season. Irving, 33, averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 50 games last season before going down with the injury.
Irving was traded from the Nets to the Mavs back in February 2023, where he was expected to be a running mate alongside Doncic. The duo worked well as the Mavs made it all the way to the 2024 NBA Finals, falling in five games to the Celtics. Despite that, the Dallas front office elected to trade Doncic to Los Angeles anyway. But now, the Mavs could get a new face of the franchise in Flagg to pair alongside veterans like Irving and Davis.