The Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie Irving are in an interesting predicament this offseason. Irving has a player option for this summer worth nearly $44 million, and he looked like he was playing his way into a pay raise for the longest time.
But then, Irving tore the ACL in his left knee in March against the Sacramento Kings, putting both parties in a tough spot. Would Irving opt into his contract while he recovers? Or would he opt out in hopes of a longer contract?
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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving
Mar 16, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving sits on the bench against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Jake Fischer has reported on Marc Stein's Substack that "[Kyrie] Irving holds a $44 million player option for next season that he must activate or decline by June 24. There have been rumbles all season that the Mavericks, either using that option as the starting point for an extension or based on an entirely new deal, have been hoping to re-secure Irving under contract for the next three seasons in the same annual ballpark of $40 million.”
Dallas is in a trickier salary situation than anticipated because they landed the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft rather than the 11th, as expected. That comes with a cap hit of around $13.8 million rather than $6 million. It's a good problem to have, as you'd rather have Cooper Flagg than whoever falls to the 11th pick like Egor Demin. But it also projects to put Dallas above the second tax apron.
If the Mavs can convince Irving to opt out of his current deal and re-sign him to the same three-year, $120 million deal that he signed in the 2023 offseason, that could lower his cap hit to $38 million for 2025-26, which would massively benefit the Mavs and their tax situation. But he may not feel obligated to help the Mavericks this offseason. He's eligible to sign a five-year, $313 million deal, or if he wanted to match the three years, he could sign for up to $176 million.
The injury did damper Irving's leverage in negotiations, as well as there not being many teams with cap space this offseason, because he's not going back to the Brooklyn Nets. But he also realizes that the franchise is desperate to make moves the fanbase will like after trading away Luka Doncic. He should be a Maverick no matter what next season, the question will be at what salary number.
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