Kyrie Irving's Future With Mavericks Clarified by Masai Ujiri

Nov 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks on during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving's Future With Mavericks Clarified by Masai Ujiri

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated May 6, 2026 10:16 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Dallas Mavericks introduced Masai Ujiri as Team President and Alternate Governor on Tuesday, giving the franchise a new leader and voice to fall in line under. He brings championship experience as an executive, winning the title in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors, and is well-respected around the NBA.

During his introductory press conference, Ujiri was asked about Kyrie Irving and whether he hopes he'll be on the court next season with Cooper Flagg.

“You dream like me, man. I can't wait. I want to see that," Ujiri said. "Kyrie Irving is one of the best players, and I know he’s the best ball handler in the game. His experience. He’s a championship player. I'm excited to see that, we all are. His injury was unfortunate, but I know he's moved past that. I think it's going to be pretty cool, and I know it's going to help Cooper, because Kyrie likes to play off the ball too, and this is going to be interesting for us.”

Masai Ujiri spoke of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving not being able to share the court together last season and his hopeful return of Kyrie Irving.

“You dream like me, man. I can't wait. I want to see that. Kyrie Irving is one of the best players and I know he’s the best ball… pic.twitter.com/X2NV9pcxc0
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) May 5, 2026

Kyrie Irving has been at his best when he has another ball-dominant player next to him that can control the offense, like Luka Doncic or LeBron James. That allows Irving to attack gaps, as the gravitational pull of the other star creates those opportunities. There's a reason he won a championship with LeBron and made it to the NBA Finals with Doncic, but hasn't had any deep postseason runs without them.

Flagg showed a lot of growth on the ball this season, as Jason Kidd played him at point guard early and often. That could create the ball-handling tandem needed for Irving to be at his best.

Kyrie Irving Seems Likely to Stay With Mavericks

Kyrie Irving missed all of this season recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in March of 2025. There was some belief that he could've returned near the end of the 2026 season, but with the Mavs being as bad as they were, finishing 26-56, there was no reason to rush him back from injury.

The next time Irving takes the floor for an NBA game, it will have been 18 months since his injury. That could leave him rusty, or it will have him ready to go to prove he's still one of the best in the game.

Dallas will likely garner a lot of trade interest for Irving, as a lot of teams will be searching for guard help this offseason, but the Mavericks want to jump back into contention this season, and Irving is their best shot of doing so.

Irving will make about $39.5 million this upcoming season, then has a player option worth $42.4 million for the 2027-28 season.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: