One of the storylines surrounding the Dallas Mavericks has been the pending return of Kyrie Irving, who has been out for the entire season recovering from an ACL tear suffered in a match against the Sacramento Kings last season. The injury ended what had been a solid year for the former champion, who averaged 24.7 points and 4.6 assists per game.
The hype surrounding Irving’s return spiked once the Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft, with the sight of an Irving-Flagg backcourt lighting up the imaginations of the NBA world, but it appears those visions will have to wait until next season, according to a recent report.
As reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Irving will sit out for the remainder of the campaign to continue his rehab work in order to come back next season.
Charania would later quote Irving’s agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, regarding the former champion’s decision to sit out for the remainder of the season as being about coming back at full strength for a potential title push.
“This is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season,” Irving’s agent explained to ESPN.
The 33-year-old’s absence on the court has been felt by the Mavericks, who are averaging the eighth-lowest scoring average in the league (113.9) and hold the seventh-worst record in the association, sitting in the 12th seed in the Western Conference at 19-35.
Given that Dallas has their own pick in this year’s draft, as well as the quality expected in the upcoming class, it may not be the worst thing in the world to have Irving sit out to heal, as adding yet another quality piece to their squad wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Just as he’s had all season, Jason Kidd will have the likes of Brandon Williams, Tyus Jones, and RJ Nembhard Jr to fill in for the former champion.
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