Irving was a warrior for the Mavericks, and his season-ending injury was a massive bummer
Kyrie Irving arrived in Dallas back in 2023 when the team was at a crossroads — years of mismanagement to start the Luka Doncic era under the previous regime led to a talent-depleted roster that would end up finishing 11th in the West and missing the playoffs. The trade for Irving was a gamble, one the franchise was willing to take as it was left with few other options to add All-NBA level talent around Doncic after Jalen Brunson left in free agency to New York that prior summer. Irving has lived up to the billing since, and been as steady as anyone could have hoped. He helped lead Doncic and Dallas to the Finals last year and continued his great play into the 2024-2025 season. Despite Irving’s excellence, Irving finds himself once again on a team at a crossroads, but much bleaker than the 2023 scenario, with Doncic now traded to the Lakers and Irving suffering a brutal ACL tear in March.
Season in Review
Since coming to Dallas, Irving’s efficiency has been tremendous, and this past season was no different. Irving started blazing hot (making over 50 percent of his threes across October and November), and rode that shooting throughout the year. He once again put up big scoring numbers, averaging 24.7 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He was filtering with a 50/40/90 shooting season before the trades, and still finish with a fantastic shooting split of 47.4 from the field, 39.4 percent from three, and 88.8 percent from the free throw line.
In Irving’s two seasons with Dallas, he’s posted two of the highest true-shooting percentages of his career (60.8 in 2024, 59.4 in 2025). His number this past season would have been even higher if not for the trade, as you can see Irving’s numbers dip a bit due to the outrageous responsibility the Mavericks placed on the 33-year-old’s shoulders. With Doncic gone and Anthony Davis hurt, Irving was at times literally the only capable ball handler and scorer on the roster most nights, while the Mavericks were forced to roll out seven and eight man rotations as the Mavericks injuries continued to mount. Irving averaged nearly 40 minutes per game in February.
Whether or not you want to believe that increased toll had anything to do with what came next, Irving suffered a catastrophic knee injury against the Kings on March 3, tearing his ACL and ending his season prematurely. The Mavericks limped to the finish line after Irving’s injury, getting blown out in the final Play-In game at Memphis to send the Mavericks home without a playoff appearance.
Best Game
While this happened in a loss, Irving’s best game was in Denver on Nov. 11 against the Nuggets, where he dropped 43 points on only 22 shots, and made an astonishing 17 of those 22 shots, including 6-of-8 from three.
It was a display of shooting efficiency that would make Dirk Nowitzki proud. Irving simply could not miss that night no matter what the Nuggets defense tried to do. The bag was full that night — Irving made an assortment of crafty layups, pull-up threes, and smooth midrange twos. It was the complete Irving experience, and it’s a shame the Mavericks weren’t able to secure the win. Shooting over 77 percent on 22 shot attempts is just absurd.
Contract Status
Irving has a player option for next season, worth just a shade under $44 million. It was widely expected before the injury that Irving would opt-out and secure a long-term deal, and while the injury definitely gave NBA insiders some pause about if that mindset has changed, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has said in public comments he expects Irving to stick around for a long time. Expect Irving to opt-out and re-sign to a multi-year deal, especially now that the Mavericks have gone all-in on the Irving/Davis duo.
Looking Ahead
Unfortunately the history of small guards past the age of 30 suffering awful lower body injuries is not good. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was in his early 20s when he tore his ACL, and it took about two full years before he started to resemble himself. The future is cloudy for Irving, and we simply do not know exactly when he will look like himself, despite what will surely be a rigorous rehab process.
This is not a slight to Irving, but just the reality of the situation. Reports indicate the Mavericks are hopeful Irving will return in January during next season, but most injury experts think that’s a shade too optimistic, and a return after next season’s All-Star break is more likely. What’s worse is that even if Irving returns next season, we likely won’t see the same spectacular Irving we’re all used to until sometime after that first return. That’s just the nature of this injury.
Of course Irving could come back faster than we think, and maybe closer to his old self. Who knows, but it does cast a dark cloud over the Mavericks next season.
Grade: A
You really can’t ask anything more of Irving. He played a perfect second-fiddle to Doncic, then shouldered the load after the trade and throughout all the injuries. Irving has also been a model teammate in Dallas, and any controversy surrounding him has seemingly died out.
It’s a shame. Irving was on an All-NBA path before the season got turned upside down. Hopefully he’ll regain his form sooner rather than later, considering the Mavericks don’t have the time they used to.