Kyrie Irving is declining his $42.9 million player option for the 2025-26 season with the Dallas Mavericks and instead planning to sign a three-year, $119 million extension with the franchise, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
That new deal can’t be officially agreed upon until July 6. With Irving expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2025-26 season recovering from a torn ACL, it makes sense he was interested in getting long-term security with his new deal.
For the Mavericks, they’re able to slightly lower Irving’s annual salary to help their cap situation, while keeping Irving around for their hopeful bounce back as a contender with a team built around Irving, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg, who the team is expected to select with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Cooper Flagg set to be top pick in 2025 NBA Draft: What to know before Mavericks select Duke freshman at No. 1
David Cobb
Irving, 33, averaged 24.7 points for Dallas last season, his third in the Lone Star State after he was acquired from the Nets midway through the 2022-23 season. Irving tore his ACL on March 3 against the Sacramento Kings, a devastating blow that came shortly after Davis, who was acquired in the controversial Luka Dončić trade, hurt his groin in his Dallas debut.
However, the franchise received a much-needed boost in the form of shockingly winning the lottery, which gives them the opportunity to draft Flagg first overall. Now, they have their core locked in long term, even if it will take a bit for the new “Big Three” to share the court together.
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