The Dallas Mavericks are gearing up for next season, but one key issue is looming over their title hopes.
The past few weeks have been a complete success for the Mavericks. With the team selecting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick and making some solid moves in free agency, there is some real excitement in Dallas for next season, which seemed like an impossibility after the Luka Doncic trade.
With Flagg and Anthony Davis bolstering the frontcourt, the sky is the limit for the Mavericks’ defense. However, their offense is much more reliant on the backcourt, making Kyrie Irving’s return timeline critical to Dallas’ season.
Irving tore his ACL in early March, just weeks after the Doncic trade, piling onto the nightmare season. While Irving has been unwilling to commit to a return timeline, former Mavericks governor Mark Cuban has no doubts when asked about the point guard’s return.
“Yeah, I do,” Cuban said. “Yeah. I mean, he’s gonna be careful, but it’s Kyrie, man, he lives to ball and he’s not gonna take time off if he doesn’t have to.”
Cuban helped bring Irving to the Mavericks in 2023 at the trade deadline, forming a dynamic backcourt duo with Doncic. Of course, those two led Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2024 before being broken up in February.
With Doncic out of the picture, Irving becomes a much more important piece of the puzzle. As the top creator and perimeter scorer, Irving will be the key for any Mavericks playoff run next year.