Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving May Not Play This Season

One NBA executive told DallasHoopsJournal that MacMahon is essentially implying the Mavericks are looking to tank and that playing Irving later in the season serves no benefit to either side.

Dallas is expected to trade Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson after firing Nico Harrison as general manager, sources said. D’Angelo Russell and Daniel Gafford could also be moved.

The new decision makers in Dallas, Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, believe the best route to take moving forward is to trade Davis, Thompson and a few other veterans and rebuild around Cooper Flagg, who is averaging 15.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on the season, sources said.

Irving appeared in 50 games for the Mavericks last season. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.1% from beyond the arc and 91.6% from the free-throw line.

Dallas signed Irving to a three-year, $118 million contract in July. Irving is making $36.6 million this season. He can become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 by declining his 2027-28 player option worth $42.4 million.

A nine-time All-Star, Irving has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Mavericks. He has career averages of 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. The 33-year-old won the 2016 championship with the Cavaliers.

At Mavericks media day, Irving said he didn’t know when he’d be back.

“Nah, I didn’t even approach it like that once I got injured,” Irving said. “Obviously everyone has their own timeline in terms of doctors coming on, giving their expert opinion, analysts are gonna do their thing as well, which I respect. For me, it was about going internal, figuring out what I can do to push myself to get where I need to be and I’ve made that statement clear that I’m trying to be better than where I was, which is, it’s a hard task.”

The Mavericks are only 4-11. They are in 13th place in the Western Conference standings.