As the Dallas Mavericks explore a contract extension for Dereck Lively II and search for a trade for Klay Thompson, the team received massive news addressing a major source of fan concern: Kyrie Irving is fully recovered from his ACL injury.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Irving, after missing the entirety of the 2025-26 season following a torn ACL sustained on March 3, 2025, is now fully healthy and set to be fully part of the team’s plans for next season. “He’s fully recovered, 100% from that ACL tear. He’s been fully entrenched with the Mavericks plans this offseason,” Charania said on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Irving and the Mavericks were cautious with his recovery throughout last season, and understandably so. The Mavs were in the first year of a post-Luka Doncic rebuild, and rushing Irving back made little sense given how far the squad was from contending for a playoff spot.
Irving as a key piece for the Mavericks
At 34 years old, history has not been kind to smaller guards suffering severe knee injuries. However, modern medicine has advanced tremendously compared to just five years ago, fueling hope that the Mavericks star can make a full recovery, especially after taking his time in rehabilitation.
Kyrie Irving
Irving will serve as the most veteran player on a young Mavs squad that is betting everything on Cooper Flagg as its foundational pillar. He will bring the point guard presence that Dallas severely lacked last season when forced to rotate several players at the position.
It will be compelling to see how Irving fits into the Mavericks‘ plans. He has two years remaining on his contract, featuring a player option for the 2027-28 season, and at 34 years old, he does not entirely fit the team’s long-term timeline or aspirations.
Notably, Irving was reportedly one of the stars LeBron James wanted to team up with, though the Cleveland Cavaliers apparently failed to pull off an adequate trade. During the 2024-25 NBA season, Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 92% from the free-throw line.
