Kyrie Irving is entering a different kind of season in Dallas.
He has been a veteran presence for the Mavericks since arriving in February of 2023, but 2026-27 is shaping up to be the first year he stands alone as the team’s unquestioned No. 1 veteran leader. That was not the case when he first got there, with multiple veterans already in the mix and Luka Doncic still moving deeper into his own leadership role. Last season, Irving should have inherited that spot by default, but his ACL tear kept him from fully owning it on the floor, and players like Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis handled that kind of responsibility more often.
Now the path is clear. Irving recently hosted a player-led minicamp for the Mavericks in Los Angeles, another sign that the team is looking to him for direction as much as production. Barring another freak injury, this will be his first real chance to take over as Dallas’ true leader on and off the court.
That matters even more because the roster around him is getting younger. Cooper Flagg could wind up being Dallas’ best player next season, but he is still 19 years old and has not played in the playoffs yet.
There is plenty of growth ahead for him as both a player and a leader. If Dwight Powell earns a training camp invite but does not make the roster, Irving would be Dallas’ oldest player by a wide margin.
Caleb Martin, at 30, would be the only other Maverick older than his twenties.
And Irving is the only player on the roster with championship experience.
With Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz having pushed the youth movement this offseason, Dallas is going to need Irving’s steadiness and guidance. The Mavericks have enough talent to hang around the fringe of the playoff or play-in race, but that outlook gets a lot shakier without Irving steering things. His impact in close games should still be felt, especially since he remains one of the best clutch shotmakers ever.
There will still be moments when his game makes you remember he is 34 years old, but the bigger picture is hard to miss. Irving brings a long track record, a calm edge, and the kind of experience this group does not have elsewhere. His connection with Flagg could end up being especially important, giving the rookie a chance to learn from one of the game’s all-time greats while he is still at the start of his NBA journey.
In a league that keeps leaning younger, Irving stands out because his value in Dallas should be just as strong away from the ball as it is with it. For the Mavericks, that makes him one of the rare veterans whose importance cuts both ways.
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Kyrie Irvings Mavericks Future Still Hangs Over Dallas Entering Camp
The Mavericks have spent the offseason taking stock of the roster under new head coach Dusty May and a fresh voice in the front office, and Kyrie Irving remains one of the central names in every conversation about where the team is headed next. Irving is working back from an ACL injury and, at 34, still carries the kind of gravity that can shape not just the rotation but the bigger direction of the franchise.
For now, Dallas is planning as if Irving will be part of the picture when camp opens, even with the uncertainty that usually follows a season of change. His situation is fluid enough that the team would listen if he wanted a move, and the broader question is how long the current balance holds if the Mavericks stumble early or Irvings view of his future starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Roster Crunch Just Made The Klay Thompson Move Harder To Explain
The Mavericks offseason already looked a little unusual after they bought out Klay Thompson and let him land with the Miami Heat, and the roster math around the move has only gotten tighter since then. Dallas is carrying a full roster, which means every addition now comes with a consequence, and that has turned even modest depth decisions into a small puzzle for the front office.
Dwight Powells name is back in the conversation, with Dallas looking at him for training camp as a possible competitor for a spot. The catch is simple: bringing him in would force the Mavericks to clear room by waiving someone else, which is why the Thompson buyout keeps drawing second-guessing. Once a move creates that kind of squeeze, it gets harder to explain why the team chose it in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Flagg Headlines A Mavericks Battle Fans Will Be Watching Closely
Training camp is about to put the Mavericks wing rotation under the microscope, and the biggest reason is Cooper Flagg. The expectation is that the rookie will step in as the starting small forward as Dallas heads into its international preseason slate, giving the team a fresh look at a position that can shape just about everything else on the floor. Flagg is coming in with the kind of rsum that already has people around the team paying close attention, especially after he led Dallas in several statistical categories last season.
There is still plenty to sort through behind him, with Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin, P.J. Washington and Jett Howard all in the mix for wing minutes. The Mavericks did lose Khris Middleton in a sign-and-trade to the Washington Wizards, and the next few weeks should help show how the staff wants to piece together that group around Flagg. For Dallas, this is more than a depth-chart exercise, since the answer at small forward could tell a lot about how the roster is going to function once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]