Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving is not planning to play any games this season as he uses the 2025-26 campaign to recover from a torn ACL, his agent told ESPN. Irving, who tore his ACL in March of 2025, is expected to return to the basketball court during the 2026-27 season.
"This is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season," his agent and stepmother, Shetellia Riley Irving, told ESPN's Shams Charania.
In February 2023, Irving was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and two second-round picks. Last summer, he signed a contract extension with the Mavs for three years and $119 million.
Though he has only played in 128 games for Dallas, Irving has been phenomenal when he has been on the court. During his tenure with the Mavs, he has averaged 25.5 points per game as well as 5.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds.
An expected move becomes official
This seemed like the most obvious decision for Kyrie Irving. He is turning 34 years old next month and shouldn't feel a need to rush back to the court. The only way this already catastrophic situation can become worse is if Kyrie comes back too soon and suffers another season-ending knee injury. Shutting Irving down for the season gives him a better shot of returning to the court fully healthy and not re-injuring his knee.
This is a no-brainer for the Dallas Mavericks, too. They are one of the worst teams in the NBA. With a 19-35 record, they are the fourth-worst team in the Western Conference and the seventh-worst team in the league overall. If they didn't luck their way into Rookie of the Year favorite, Cooper Flagg, this team would be completely unwatchable. Maybe if they were in the mix for a playoff spot, then there would be a sense of urgency for Kyrie to come back this season. But when you realize the Mavs are seven games back from the last play-in spot, it's obvious this team isn't going to come close to sniffing the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
This decision was probably made a few weeks ago when the Mavericks traded Anthony Davis away. Prior to that move, Davis, who was arguably the best player on the Mavs, had only played in 20 games before injuring his hand on January 8th. He has yet to return to the court since then. At that point, Dallas was 14-24 and near the bottom of the league in win percentage. Though they would go 5-2 in their next seven outings, the Mavs are currently in the middle of a nine-game losing streak and show no signs of ending their free fall. Had Davis been able to return sooner, maybe the Dallas would've won some more games, and they would be better positioned to make a run at the postseason. Instead, they lost a lot, which resulted in Davis being traded.
While there might have been some hope during the preseason that the Mavericks would compete for a championship this year, those expectations have gone the way of the dodo. Therefore, Dallas should be tanking. They have two first-round picks this year: their own and the Thunder's 2026 first-rounder. The OKC pick probably won't be worth much, but the Mavs' first-rounder could be a high-value asset. That first-rounder will likely be a lottery pick, but if they continue losing at this current pace, it could end up being a top-four or top-three selection. In an incredibly stacked draft class, that could land them Duke's Cameron Boozer or Kansas' Darryn Peterson, which would immediately make this team a contender next season with Flagg and Irving also on the court. Though you never root for injuries, Kyrie Irving not playing this season might be the best thing to happen to this franchise since winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
