The Dallas Mavericks will reportedly keep Kyrie Irving on the roster with Duke Blue Devils basketball star Cooper Flagg set to join the organization later this month as the team’s No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Marc Stein reported as much on his Substack.
“I don’t hear anyone forecasting scenarios where Kyrie Irving is no longer a Maverick. I haven’t heard one scenario presented where he ends up with another team. But I also don’t have a handy projection for how this contract is going to turn out. During the season, the whispers that were going around was that the Mavs would like to do a three-year deal in the $40 (million) a year range. So, a three-year deal that was $120 (million) again,” Stein reported.
“But the circumstances have changed in two major ways. On one hand, Kyrie Irving is the only elite proven guard on this roster. And with Luca Doncic no longer here, his value to the Mavericks has theoretically skyrocketed," Stein said. "But on the flip side, of course, as everyone knows, in early March, he sustained an ACL tear... No one can still tell you when we're going to see Kyrie Irving again. Is it January? Is it February?”
Irving’s ACL tear and subsequent missed time on the floor/recovery timeline mean the Mavs might not be in a contending mindset for the 2025-26 season.
Then again, they could consolidate their frontcourt depth in a Jrue Holiday trade with the Boston Celtics to add a stop-gap 1 while allowing Flagg to facilitate the offense.
It’s unclear what Dallas will take.
At the very least, we know the New York Knicks aren’t swooping in and stealing head coach Jason Kidd.
And we know Irving is more than likely returning to the DFW on a contract extension.