Mavericks Linked to Ex-Lakers Star After Kyrie Irving News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Elie Deglaoui | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 12:54 PM ET

After suffering a season-ending ACL injury back in March, there was a bit of uncertainty regarding Kyrie Irving's future with the Dallas Mavericks due to him having a $43 million player option to decide on this offseason. Luckily for Dallas, Irving chose to decline his player option to sign a three-year, $119 million contract to stay with the team (h/t Shams Charania of ESPN).

Now that their first big move of the offseason is complete, the Mavericks will look to continue bolstering their roster, which will likely include top prospect Cooper Flagg, who most believe the team will select No. 1 overall during Wednesday's draft.

However, per the latest reports, the Mavericks have other moves in mind, including landing a former Los Angeles Lakers star.

After missing out on the playoffs last season following their NBA Finals appearance in 2024, the Mavericks will look to get back to the big stage, and it all starts with making the right moves in the offseason.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are interested in Brooklyn Nets free agent guard D'Angelo Russell. Furthermore, Stein reported that the Mavericks are "now regarded as a leading suitor" for the former Laker.

More on this topic: Dallas is now regarded as a leading suitor for D'Angelo Russell, sources tell @TheSteinLine.

The Mavs can make a free agent run at Russell because Kyrie Irving's new deal has a lower Year 1 salary than his $43M player option.

More: https://t.co/WcPtjzmQVQ https://t.co/e59gLp0BbY
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 25, 2025

Russell began the 2024-25 season as a member of the Lakers before getting traded back to Brooklyn in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith. On the year, Russell averaged 12.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1 steal per game.

If the Mavericks were to land Russell, they would most notably reunite him with Anthony Davis, who the team acquired from the Lakers in the blockbuster trade involving Luka Doncic.

As Dallas looks to become a playoff team once again, their offseason moves are going to be crucial to monitor, which may include adding Russell into the mix.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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