Jan 23, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) on as he passes during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder NBA Champion gives honest Dallas Mavericks statement

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the reigning NBA champions, capping off a season where they were clearly the most dominant team all year long. People will always wonder "What if?" about the Tyrese Haliburton torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but that doesn't take away from the season they had. They know how to win, so when one of them talks about the Dallas Mavericks, it's worth noting.

Andrew Hughes of the Sporting News caught up with two-time NBA Champion Alex Caruso at the American Century Championship and asked him a few questions about the upcoming season, including his thoughts on the Mavericks after drafting Cooper Flagg.

"We got to see how they're gonna be," Caruso started. "Kyrie [Irving]’s still hurt. He might be out the whole year. He might come back late. A lot of that depends on him."

Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March against the Sacramento Kings and didn't have surgery until April. Initial reports said he could be back in January or February, but Irving recently tempered expectations, saying he's not going to rush anything, making sure he's 100% healthy when he does return to the floor.

The Mavericks will be an interesting team with the addition of Cooper Flagg until Irving gets back. They have a loaded frontcourt with Flagg, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Naji Marshall, but the backcourt is a little suspect. They signed D'Angelo Russell to fill in at point guard until Irving returns, but hitching oneself to the D'Angelo Russell wagon doesn't always lead to success.

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

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