Kyrie Irving’s missed 2025-26 season after a torn ACL has not cooled league curiosity. With Dallas having fired head coach Jason Kidd earlier this week and brought in new leadership led by president Masai Ujiri, rival teams are expected to test the Mavericks’
Dallas has scarcely had time to reset after firing head coach Jason Kidd earlier this week, yet Kyrie Irving is already casting a long shadow over what comes next.
The Mavericks are expected to face increasing league interest in Irving during this offseason—interest that could arrive whether Dallas wants it or not. The reason is simple: after Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in March 2025. the league’s question is no longer just about his health. It’s about whether Dallas is still planning to center its future around him, or move on.
Marc Stein. reporting in his latest work for The Stein Line. notes that rival teams are anticipated to explore Irving’s availability across the market this summer. Stein also frames the timing as complicated for Dallas: the franchise has begun reshaping its direction around rookie centerpiece Cooper Flagg. while new president Masai Ujiri brings a fresh voice to decisions that could define the next competitive cycle.
In Ujiri’s May 5 news conference, he said he is as eager as Mavericks fans to finally see Irving play alongside Flagg after the nine-time NBA All-Star guard missed the entire 2025-26 season. Ujiri linked that eagerness to the fact that Irving’s absence came in the wake of knee surgery in March 2025.
That sets up a clear tension around Irving’s future. On one hand, Dallas leadership has signaled excitement about what could happen when Irving and Flagg finally share the floor. On the other. Stein writes that leaguewide anticipation suggests Dallas is likely to receive trade interest in Irving even after his full season of inactivity.
The impact of Irving’s injury reached far beyond the status line. Dallas had to navigate the 2025-26 campaign without one of its primary offensive creators for the entire season. a setback that helped the Mavericks struggle to a disappointing finish. Since then, the organization has undergone major changes.
Irving’s value remains real when he’s on the floor. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.1% from three-point range, and 91.6% from the free-throw line across 50 games.
But trade speculation rarely boils down to talent alone. Irving is under contract for next season at $39.4 million. and he also holds a player option worth $42.4 million for the 2027-28 season. With Dallas’ competitive timeline uncertain while it builds around Flagg. that contract structure could make Irving a frequent subject of offseason conversations.
Stein’s report, however, points to an important distinction: Dallas is not actively shopping Irving at this stage. Instead. the expectation is that league executives are prepared to probe Dallas’ willingness to engage in trade talks following Kidd’s departure and the front office overhaul led by Ujiri.
The storyline now looks set to run through the offseason. The Mavericks are expected to build around Flagg moving forward after the rookie emerged as the centerpiece of the franchise’s next era. Whether Irving stays part of that long-term vision could become one of the summer’s most closely watched decision points in the league.
Kyrie Irving Dallas Mavericks Jason Kidd Masai Ujiri Cooper Flagg NBA offseason torn ACL NBA trade rumors