Mavericks urged to re-sign star player this offseason

Irving should get new contract this offseason

"For anyone hoping this would be "The Dallas Mavericks must trade Anthony Davis, move on from Kyrie Irving and rebuild around Cooper Flagg," well, you should know better. President of basketball operations Nico Harrison is building this team to win now, even if his decision-making process suggests otherwise," Favale wrote.

"Continuing that march toward contention necessitates re-signing Kyrie. Though tearing an ACL in his left knee likely keeps him out until at least the New Year, this is more about his $42.9 million player option.

"Dallas can hope he opts in to kick the can down the road or extend him, but attempting to lower his 2025-26 salary should be the actual goal. Winning the draft lottery has nudged the Mavs' payroll into second-apron territory. This isn't too palatable for a team that'll be without its second-best player for a huge chunk of next year, and it makes completing trades and navigating free agency exponentially harder.

"Would Kyrie decline his option and re-sign at a noticeably lower annual number over more years to lock in more security? The Mavs better hope so. They need to find out either way. And even if he does, it'll probably take another salary dump or two to properly position their books."

It could be a risk to re-sign Irving, but the possibility of him returning to full health and becoming a key piece to a contending team still exists, so the Mavs should take advantage of that.