Kidd’s Kyrie Ultimatum: Mavericks Coach Sounds Off, Signaling a Franchise Crossroads and a Potential High-Stakes Gamble on Irving’s Future in Dallas
The Dallas Mavericks will have an interesting offseason ahead of them, as the vibes have arguably never been lower. Inexplicably sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, combined with a historic streak of injuries, has dropped the team from NBA Finals contenders to fighting to make the Play-In with a beaten-up roster.
Part of those injuries was Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL after an awkward landing against the Sacramento Kings at the beginning of the month. Any hope the Mavs had of contending died as Irving shot his free throws with a tear running down his face and then had to be helped off the floor.
Besides Irving’s injury’s on-court impacts, it also has some off-court implications that the team will face this offseason. He was on his way to earning a max contract extension this offseason, but he could instead opt into his player option and push that decision a year down the road.
Cuban recently appeared on an episode of “Your Mom’s House” podcast (members-only episode) and talked about whether Irving could possibly leave the team if he and his camp don’t get the offer they’re looking for.
“I don’t watch the rumor mill,” Cuban started. “That makes no sense whatsoever… I love Kyrie too. Maybe they’re trying to get rid of the people I like… Somebody comes in, takes over a new company, and gets rid of the old guys.”
Nico Harrison seems to cherish Kyrie Irving, so it seems like he’d want to keep him around. But the team’s recent decision-making hasn’t been the strongest since the calendar turned to 2025. Irving is a true superstar in the NBA, but no one knows what type of player he’ll be when he returns from his ACL injury. He turns 33 years old on Sunday and is a guard who relies on his acceleration and shiftiness. There’s a chance he’s never the same. This summer could be very interesting for the Mavs.
Cuban was already disappointed that Harrison not only traded Doncic away but got such a middling return for him. This is not what Cuban envisioned when he sold his majority share of the team to the Adelson family.
