Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving during an NBA game.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been sidelined since March 2025 after suffering a torn ACL, an injury that typically requires a lengthy recovery process.
The standard timeline for an ACL tear ranges from nine-to-12 months, with the latter end often needed to fully regain confidence, mobility, and explosiveness following surgery.
Irving is now approaching that window, and signs have begun to point towards a long-awaited return.
On Thursday, the Mavericks offered their most direct update yet on where things stand.
Dallas Mavericks Offer Clarity on Kyrie Irving’s Timeline
Recent reports have suggested Irving could target a return around the All-Star break in mid-February. While no firm date has been established, head coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that such a scenario remains possible.
Speaking ahead of Dallas’ 123-115 win over the Golden State Warriors, Kidd addressed the growing speculation.
“Well, there isn’t anything new,” Kidd told reporters. “I know there’s a lot of speculation going on. But he’s working extremely hard from the rehab. Spending some time with him yesterday, he’s in good spirits and he feels great. At some point, there will be a timeline. But right now, there is no timeline.”
“Don’t take this out of context, but he wants to get back, he wants to play. But when you’re coming back from an ACL, it’s a time thing. At some point there will be a schedule. It will probably be after All-Star break.”
Dallas’ first game following the All-Star break comes on February 20 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a date that now looms as a potential checkpoint.
A return around that time would place Irving just shy of the 12-month mark since the initial injury.
Standings Won’t Dictate Irving’s Return
Kidd’s comments followed a report from ESPN’s Tim McMahon suggesting Dallas could consider holding Irving out for the remainder of the season, given the team’s injury struggles and current position in the standings.
“He has yet to be cleared to practice, and while Irving has made it clear that he hopes to play this season, sources anticipate that, considering the Mavs’ place in the standings, there will be discussions about postponing his comeback until next season,” McMahon reported.
However, Kidd pushed back strongly on the idea that the standings would influence Irving’s availability.
“It has nothing to do with it,” he added. “It’s about, for him, mentally and physically, being able to play at the highest level. And in his mind, no one else’s.”
For a Mavericks team that has been starved of positive injury news, the possibility of Irving returning this season represents a rare source of optimism.
After Anthony Davis’ latest setback, Dallas appeared vulnerable to a deeper slide down the standings.
Instead, the team has responded with a current four-game winning streak to improve to 19-26, racking up seven wins in its last 10 games and climbing to within 1.5 games of the play-in picture.
If Irving is able to return shortly after the All-Star break, the Mavericks could suddenly find itself with both momentum and enough runway to mount a legitimate late-season push of sorts.