The Dallas Mavericks suffered a big blow to their playoff hopes when Kyrie Irving sustained a torn ACL in early March. Now, as it stands, the team will have to wait some time to get the All-Star point guard back in action.
Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, Shams Charania
revealed the franchise’s perspective
Regarding Irving and his anticipated comeback with the Mavericks.
Charania mentioned Kyrie Irving’s comeback as the main uncertainty at present,” and added, “The prevailing sentiment regarding the Dallas Mavericks is that they anticipate him being part of the team for a significant portion of the upcoming season.
Charania stated that “there’s hope he’ll return by January,” indicating that Irving is set to miss at least the initial three months of the 2025-26 NBA season.
The NBA insider then pointed out another crucial issue concerning Irving that the Mavericks must address: his contract. At age 33, he holds a $44 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. However, reports suggest that the team intends to void this option and instead offer him a new three-year agreement.
Kyrie Irving, who
underwent successful surgery
to fix his ruptured ACL on March 26,
sustained the injury
Later in the first quarter of the Dallas Mavericks’ 122-98 defeat against the Sacramento Kings on March 3rd, Irving suffered his injury. The usual healing period following an ACL surgery similar to Irving’s ranges from six to twelve months.
During the 2024-25 season, in 50 games, Irving put up averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest.
It remains to be seen whether Irving can pull off a faster recovery than projected, or if the Mavericks will have to wait longer than expected. In any case, the franchise will have to find a way to stay relevant while waiting for the one-time NBA champion to return from his health setback.
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