There is optimism Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving could be fully recovered and return from his torn left ACL by January 2026, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday.
There is also an expectation around the team that Irving will be able to play a good amount of the 2025-26 season upon his return, the sources said.
Irving, who underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL on March 26, sustained the injury late in the first quarter of the Mavericks’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 3. The typical recovery time after an ACL surgery like Irving’s is six to 12 months.
Irving, 33, averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season. He has a $43 million player option for the 2025-26 season, the final year of a three-year, $126 million deal he signed in 2023. The Mavericks’ aim is to rip up his player option and give him a new three-year deal, potentially to align him with the same length of deals that Anthony Davis and general manager Nico Harrison have, sources said.
Irving, who made his ninth All-Star team in February, was the only NBA player this season averaging at least 20 points, 40% 3-point shooting and 90% from the free throw line. It’s the fifth season in his 14-year career in which he has reached or surpassed those averages — the second most all time, trailing Golden State’s Stephen Curry, according to ESPN Research.
Before the injury, Irving was averaging 39.3 minutes over his previous 10 games, a stretch that began right after the team dealt costar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Irving played the most minutes per game by any player in the NBA from Feb. 4 to March 2.
