Kyrie Irving is sounding ready.
The nine-time All-Star shared a positive update on his ACL recovery during a recent Twitch stream, telling viewers he is nearly back to full strength. “I am definitely close to being over at 100% in terms of my ACL recovery,” Irving said.
For a Mavericks team that has spent more than a year in chaos, that is the best news Dallas has heard in months.
Irving’s injury history with this franchise has been brutal. He tore his ACL in March 2025, less than a month after the Mavericks shocked the basketball world by trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. He missed the entire 2025-26 season. Dallas drafted Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick and built around the rookie out of necessity. Now Irving’s return is the next phase.
The Mavericks GM Mike Schmitz confirmed this week that Irving has been a constant presence at the team facility throughout his rehab. “He’s locked in to everything we’re doing,” Schmitz said. New president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has spoken positively about Irving as part of Dallas’ immediate future, and the front office appears committed to running it back with him healthy.
That is a meaningful shift from where this team was even a few weeks ago. There have been trade rumors linking Irving to contenders all spring. The Timberwolves, Rockets, and Warriors have all been mentioned as potential landing spots. The reality is that the Mavericks have not been in a hurry to move him, and Irving has not been in a hurry to leave.
The fit alongside Cooper Flagg is really interesting. Flagg is the kind of high-IQ, do-everything player who would thrive next to a creator like Kyrie. The rookie just averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals on his way to NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Add in a healthy Kyrie and a normal Dereck Lively II and the Mavericks suddenly have a real Western Conference roster again.
The timeline matters here. Irving is ramping up his training schedule as he prepares for the start of training camp in late September. He is on pace to be ready for the start of next season. That gives him a full summer to get his legs back and rebuild his rhythm.
The question is what version of Kyrie comes back. He is 33 years old. ACL recoveries at that age are not always smooth. Even players who get back to full strength sometimes lose a step. Irving’s game has always been about explosiveness and direction changes. Both of those things take a real beating from a torn ACL.
That said, Irving’s skill level was always elite. Even if he loses a half-step, he is still one of the best ball handlers and shot creators of his generation. He should still be a top-30 player in the league when he returns. That is more than enough to anchor a young Dallas team alongside Flagg.
The Mavericks have a chance to look very different in 2026-27. With Kyrie back and Cooper Flagg entering year two, the West better pay attention.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
