The good news for Dallas Mavericks fans is Kyrie Irving is reportedly trending in the right direction as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last season.
But the bad news is he reportedly may not return during the 2025-26 campaign.
“Kyrie is making great progress in his recovery, but I would say his return this season is very much in question for other reasons,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday (8:06 mark).
It isn’t difficult to speculate from the report that Irving’s return could depend on whether Dallas still has a realistic chance to make a playoff run in the Western Conference. After all, it is just 4-11 on the season and has already dealt with the injuries to Irving and Anthony Davis.
What’s more, general manager Nico Harrison was fired earlier this month as the decision to trade Luka Dončić still lingers over the franchise.
On paper, a lineup with Irving, Davis, Klay Thompson and Cooper Flagg, among others, would be competitive even in the daunting Western Conference. But using caution with an eye toward the future would be understandable if the Mavericks find themselves in too deep of a hole before they are all ready to return and play together.
ESPN’s Marc J. Spears also reported Monday there will eventually be a decision on whether Irving will come back or not even though his health is trending in the right direction.
“Kyrie’s looking good, he’s ahead of schedule,” he said (6:04-7:00). “He’s working out with the purpose of playing this season. Optimistic wise, probably around late January, All-Star break. Someone close to him told me that if it was the playoffs, he could play right now.
“… By the time he’s able to come back late January, there’s going to be a collective decision from him, from the team, from everybody that’s close to him about whether it’s worth it for him to come back or not. He wants to be back.”
At this point, the best thing the Mavericks can do is start winning games even while he is sidelined.
If they do, perhaps it will clear the way for a mid-season return and playoff run. If they don’t, it might be wiser for both team and player to wait until 2026-27 for his eventual return to the court.
