Mavericks Rumors: Dallas To Make Massive Move With Kyrie Irving This Summer

The Dallas Mavericks crashed and burned after GM Nico Harrison's shocking trade that devastated fans in the Big D, sending Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers. The Mavs, who had 70% odds of making the playoffs at the time of the trade, tumbled down to the Play-In and were quickly disposed of, missing out on the postseason.

Part of that collapse could also be attributed to injuries to both Anthony Davis, obtained in the Luka trade, and Kyrie Irving, who suffered a torn ACL and season-ending surgery soon after Doncic was dealt. But even though the 33-year-old point guard is expected to be out until at least midseason next year, there's a report from Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal that the Mavs are ready to re-up with Kyrie on a big extension.

Irving has a $43 million player option for 2025–26, but league sources expect the Mavericks to offer him a new three-year deal, aligning his timeline with those of both Davis and Harrison.

There's talk that a three-year extension was already being discussed, even before the Doncic deal, and Harrison is apparently sticking with that plan, even though Irving will likely not be back until at least January of next season, in the most optimistic of scenarios.

Calling Irving "the cornerstone of Harrison's post-Luka vision", Afseth says that despite arriving in 2023 with plenty of controversy, baggage and potential off-court distractions, Kyrie has transformed "into the spiritual and tactical heart of Harrison’s blueprint".

The Mavericks GM had developed close ties with Irving from his days as a Nike bigwig, and has been a fan of his ever since. Now, he's positioning Kyrie as his franchise centerpiece, and we'll see where it all leads.

Irving has averaged 25.5 points in what amounts to almost two full seasons in Dallas, to go with 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting just over 40% on threes.