The Mavericks are headed into 2026-27 with plenty of new faces, but the biggest boost is the one they’ve been waiting on for a long time: Kyrie Irving is back. After a full year and a half away from NBA action, Irving is finally healthy again, and Dallas is betting that the long shutdown last season will pay off in a big way.
That call was born out of one of the roughest stretches in recent Mavericks history. Irving tore his ACL in March 2025 during a season that had already gone off the rails, with Dallas having traded Luka Doncic for an injury-prone Anthony Davis. By the time preseason arrives, it will have been 19 months since Irving last played in an NBA game.
For a 34-year-old guard coming off a major knee injury, that kind of absence could have looked alarming anywhere else. In Dallas, it was a calculated choice.
The Mavericks were not chasing anything meaningful after buying into the tank and later moving on from Anthony Davis, so there was no reason to push Irving back before he was ready. Letting him rehab instead of forcing a return may have been the safest move the franchise made all year.
That decision becomes even clearer when you consider what could have gone wrong. If Irving had suffered another major injury in the final stretch of a lost season, the Mavericks would have been staring at a nightmare. Instead, they protected him, gave him time, and now reports say he is 100 percent healthy.
And this time, Irving won’t be asked to do everything himself.
When he went down in 2025, he was carrying a massive offensive burden after Anthony Davis injured his groin. That kind of workload won’t be waiting for him this season.
Dallas is set to debut Cooper Flagg alongside him, and Flagg should take on a significant share of the scoring responsibility. The fit could be natural, too.
Flagg has drawn LeBron James comparisons, and Irving’s best NBA years came while playing next to LeBron. Now he gets a similar type of partner beside him.
That matters not just for the offense, but for the whole locker room. Irving’s leadership will be a major part of Dallas’ season, especially with Flagg and the rest of the young core around him. He already showed he can fill that role during the 2024 season, when the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals, and he is positioned to be the clear leader again.
There have been trade rumors floating around Irving this offseason, but for now Dallas appears content to keep him in place. That looks like the right call. After a full season of rest, Irving is set up to remind everyone why the Mavericks were wise to wait.
In Other News...
Cooper Flagg Mania Is Already Reaching Another Level In Dallas
Cooper Flaggs arrival in Dallas is already spilling far beyond the court, with his one-of-one Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card drawing jaw-dropping attention before he has even settled into an NBA routine. The card, which features a patch from the jersey he wore in his debut, sold for $8.04 million in Fanatics Collects September Premier Auction and set five records, including the highest price ever for a basketball card featuring a single player and for a Mavericks card.
It was graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA and became the latest symbol of how quickly Flagg has turned into a national obsession. The sale also topped every previous Rookie Debut Patch card price, a reminder that the hype around Dallas newest centerpiece is now extending well beyond ticket sales and into the high-end collectibles world. [Read more 🡒]
Dwight Powell Is Back But Dallas Has A Real Roster Question
Dwight Powell is back with the Mavericks and is set to report to training camp, keeping one of the franchises most familiar faces in the building as Dallas sorts through the final edges of its roster. Powell remains the teams longest-tenured player, and even with the roster already filling out around the 15 standard contracts and two-way spots, he still has a place in camp as his career with the Mavericks continues.
What makes the situation worth watching is that Powell arrives in camp without a contract slot currently attached to him, a reminder that Dallas is carrying more than just basketball decisions into October. The Mavs know what Powell has meant to the organization over the years, and his presence gives them another experienced veteran in the room, but it also leaves a real roster question hanging over how the team wants to handle the last part of its build. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irvings Return Puts A New Mavericks Reality Into Focus
Kyrie Irving is set to return to NBA action after an 18-month absence, and his comeback arrives at a moment when the Mavericks are trying to settle into a new shape around him. After tearing his left ACL, Irving spent the last stretch working his way back with the expectation that Dallas will keep an eye on his workload, but the bigger takeaway is that he now looks ready to rejoin the team as more than just a scorer. He has talked through the recovery process as something that tested him and left him determined to make an impact again.
For Dallas, the timing matters because Irvings return restores one of the leagues most skilled guards to a roster that has been waiting a long time to see what this version of the team can become. Irving has said he is prepared to contribute as a player and as a leader, and the Mavericks will now have to sort out how quickly he can slide back into rhythm while the seasons bigger questions keep moving around him. The health part is only the start - what comes next is how the team adapts to having him back in the picture. [Read more 🡒]