The Dallas Mavericks will have to wait until the 2026-27 season for a return to full health.
Point guard Kyrie Irving is set to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season while he continues to heal from a torn ACL suffered last March, the team announced Wednesday.
“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement released by the team. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.”
Irving, 33, has yet to play this season after suffering the torn ACL in early March last year. Before going down with injury, he was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.3 per cent from the field and 40.1 per cent from three-point range.
Following the injury, the Mavericks lost 13 of their last 20 games and subsequently won the NBA Draft Lottery, allowing them the chance to draft star rookie Cooper Flagg in June.
“This is about Kyrie being 1000 per cent when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season,” Irving’s agent Shetellia Riley Irving told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
While Irving has dealt with injuries throughout his career, this will be the first full year that the 15-year veteran has missed since being taken first overall by the Cavaliers in 2011.
The Mavericks are currently 19-35 and sit 12th in the Western Conference. They have a 32 per cent chance at a top-four selection and a 7.5 per cent chance at the first-overall pick, according to Tankathon.