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Mavericks rumors: Kyrie Irving not returning before trade deadline, insider says
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- Mavericks rumors: Kyrie Irving not returning before trade deadline, insider says
Mavericks rumors: Kyrie Irving not returning before trade deadline, insider says appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Kyrie Irving hopes to have a clear return to the court for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025-26 NBA season. However, one insider believes that aspect of his situation remains in question.
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Irving suffered an ACL tear last February, cutting his 2024-25 campaign short. He is close to nine months into his recovery from the injury, nearing a return to the court as Dallas hopes for him to return before the final months of the regular season.
However, insider Tim MacMahon believes that a lot will need to take place for Irving to get back in the rotation. He appeared on an ESPN segment of Howdy Partners, where he revealed that owner Patrick Dumont wants to see a healthy trio of Irving, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg before making huge decisions for the franchise.
"With Patrick Dumont in that decision-making seat, what he wants is to see the core trio, and that's Kyrie Irving , yes, [Anthony] Davis, then Cooper Flagg together before making any major decisions. Now, the problem with that, based on what I'm hearing, Kyrie is not coming back before the trade deadline," MacMahon said at the 5:50 mark.
"Even if he did, it would be a tiny sample size. So you're not going to have that luxury of that evaluation period before one major decision needs to be made, and whether that's trade him or don't trade him. Either way, it is a major decision. I don't know at this point if Kyrie is playing this season. I know he wants to. We'll see if that's in his best interest. We'll see if it's in the franchise's best interest. Those are things that need to be sorted out."
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What lies ahead for Kyrie Irving, Mavericks
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Kyrie Irving continues to make strides in his recovery, currently supporting the Mavericks on the bench this season.
Irving would begin his 15th campaign in the NBA when he returns to the court, his third with Dallas. Last season saw him average 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game throughout 50 appearances.
Dallas has a 14-23 record on the season, holding the 11th spot in the Western Conference standings. They are 0.5 games above the Los Angeles Clippers and 1.5 games above the Utah Jazz while trailing the Memphis Grizzlies by two games and Portland Trail Blazers by 3.5 games.
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The Mavericks will get set for their upcoming road matchup against the Jazz on Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. ET. After that, they will take on the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.
Related: Would Mavericks' Cooper Flagg ever participate in NBA dunk, 3-point contests?
