Kyrie Irving’s return is giving the Dallas Mavericks a very different kind of offseason buzz.
After missing the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from injury, Irving is expected to open the year back with Dallas, and the team has made it clear it wants him in the starting lineup alongside Cooper Flagg, another former Duke standout and former No. 1 overall pick.
That plan has not stopped the trade chatter. Irving has still drawn interest from contending teams this offseason. But for now, the Mavericks are acting like a team that wants to lean into what he brings rather than move on from it.
New head coach Dusty May has seen enough in Irving’s summer work to sound genuinely fired up.
“I’ve watched him work out on his own, and I’ve watched him play pickup, and then I’ve gotten feedback from others that have watched him play recently, and I couldn’t be more excited to be on his team. I’ve been blown away,” said May.
May also pointed to the parts of Irving’s game that go beyond the highlight reel.
“We all know how talented Kyrie is with the ball in his hands, but to see his level of preparation, attention to detail, and IQ, it’s something that I’ve never seen at the level that he works at."
Irving, a former NBA champion and nine-time All-Star, has spent the summer in the gym working on his game ahead of his return. Over a 14-year career, he has averaged 23.7 points, 5.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.4 blocks while shooting 47.4% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc.
A midseason trade still hasn’t been ruled out, but if Irving is on the roster when the season starts, May will have a veteran guard whose skill and experience can give Dallas’ young core a major boost.
In Other News...
Dukes Opener Just Got Tougher At The Worst Possible Time
The buildup to Dukes season opener against Tulane has already taken on a different feel, with storms in the area pushing back the start and adding a little more uncertainty to a night the Blue Devils wanted to treat as a clean launch. Manny Diaz has spent the lead-up focusing on defensive improvement, trying to set a sharper tone on that side of the ball before the first snap of the season.
Offensively, though, Duke will have to make do without one of the newcomers the staff had hoped would help right away. Nicholas, the former Charlotte transfer expected to give the Blue Devils a boost, will not play in the game for unspecified reasons, leaving a little more pressure on the rest of the group to carry the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Season Opener Brought Early Relief Fans Needed
A weather delay only stretched the anticipation at Wallace Wade Stadium, but Duke football settled in quickly once the game finally got underway. The Blue Devils opened their season with a 17-3 win over Tulane, leaning on a defense that held the Green Wave scoreless in the first half and an offense that found enough rhythm to ease some early nerves around a new year.
The biggest lift came from a ground game that controlled the tempo and a quarterback making his first Duke appearance, giving the opener a steadier feel than plenty of fans might have expected. Duke added a late touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the result away, a welcome start for a team looking for a cleaner launch than the weather forecast first suggested. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Opener Put A Worrying Spotlight On Two Key Positions
A long weather delay did not stop Duke from opening the 2026 season with a 17-3 win over Tulane, and the Blue Devils got enough from their ground game and defense to feel good about the result. Nate Sheppard led the offense with 139 yards and a touchdown, while contributors like Nick Morris Jr., Jonah Burton and Jared Richardson helped keep the night moving even as the game unfolded in stop-start fashion.
Still, the opener left a familiar kind of unease around two spots Duke needs to sort out quickly, especially with the passing game not finding much rhythm. The Blue Devils will take the victory, but the way the offense looked through the air and the uncertainty around the receiver rotation are the kinds of things that can linger once the euphoria of Week 1 fades. [Read more 🡒]