The Dallas Mavericks could take a patient approach with star point guard Kyrie Irving’s recovery from a torn ACL as his return date is still to be determined, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“He has yet to be cleared to practice, and while Irving has made it clear that he hopes to play this season, sources anticipate that, considering the Mavs’ place in the standings, there will be discussions about postponing his comeback until next season,” MacMahon reported Thursday.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd provided an update later Thursday afternoon, saying there’s no timeline for Irving’s return:
Dallas currently sits at No. 12 in the Western Conference standings with a record of 18-26.
The Mavericks are 6.5 games behind the No. 8 seed in the West and 1.5 games back from the final spot in the play-in tournament.
As for Irving, he suffered the torn ACL in March 2025 and underwent surgery later that month.
In June 2025, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the nine-time All-Star was targeting a midseason return during his 2025-26 campaign.
Irving also revealed that he was on schedule in terms of progressing in his rehab during training camp ahead of this season.
“I’m right on schedule, guys,” Irving said in Sept. 2025, via MacMahon. “There’s consistency here. I’m right on schedule.”
“I’d rather just let it be where it is and just play it every day and just push the limit as much as I can and push myself,” he added.
The Mavericks are already managing Anthony Davis’ health woes, as he’s only appeared in 20 games this year and is currently sidelined with a hand injury.
Still, it’s worth noting that Dallas is on a three-game win streak and owns the league’s No. 5 defensive rating in the month of January (via NBA.com).
If the Mavericks can climb back into the Western Conference postseason picture, they could want to see how Irving looks alongside standout rookie Cooper Flagg.
After all, Irving is coming off a 2024-25 campaign in which he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 47.3/40.1/91.6 shooting splits.
