Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is currently on the sidelines after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee. Irving went down with the injury during the Mavericks’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 3 and is set to be out for an extended period of time.
Irving’s injury was untimely in many ways, with one being that he was eligible to sign a massive five-year, $272 million max extension this offseason. The injury led to doubt on whether the Mavericks would still want to give him that deal.
But Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News stated on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV that he still expects them to do so.
“I think the goal is to keep Kyrie in Dallas as long as they can,” Curtis said. “And I think before the injury, he was definitely on track for a max extension and I think that’s still the case.”
Curtis pointed out that Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had called Irving the heart and soul of the team after he tore his ACL. He believes the injury hasn’t changed the team’s plans concerning the nine-time All-Star.
“I don’t think you just want to have a guy for a year and risk him leaving,” Curtis added. “Not leaving again, but risk him leaving in free agency a year after. So, I think they want to lock him down as soon as they can.”
The Mavericks want to keep Kyrie Irving in Dallas 👀
“The goal is to keep Kyrie in Dallas as long as they can. Before the injury, he was definitely on track for a max extension. I think that’s still the case.” – @MikeACurtis2 @MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @DGreen_14 pic.twitter.com/N9VwApV6jx
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 18, 2025
Irving has a $43.9 million player option for the 2025-26 season. The Mavericks certainly wouldn’t want to risk him walking out of the door for nothing this year or next.
Giving Irving a long-term extension despite the injury is somewhat of a risky move, but the Mavericks look set to do it. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals this season, and the hope would be that he’ll be able to put up similar numbers when he does get back.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Irving’s injury is just one of the many blows the Mavericks have suffered in this campaign — a season that promised so much at one point, but is now set to end in complete disappointment.