Kyrie Irving hardly needs another reminder of how quickly the NBA shifts, with speculation always racing ahead about who fits, pairs, and what comes next when a star returns.
When Anthony Davis, who’s currently dealing with a hand injury in his own right, was asked about the possibility of sharing the floor with Irving, he responded like a seasoned veteran, pumping the brakes as the conversation got ahead of reality.
Irving’s Talent Changes Everything, But You Don’t Bargain with Recovery
“Obviously we want [Kyrie Irving] back. Coming off a serious injury. Whenever you get a chance to talk to him, you can ask him that question,” Davis recently shared with the media.
“I don’t try to ask about coming back… to rush him like that, especially coming off an injury like that, you’ve gotta take your time and be smart. We haven’t had that conversation, and when that time comes, I’m pretty sure we’ll discuss it.”
The quote conveys two messages simultaneously. The first is obvious: Irving’s talent changes everything. The second is the part teams too often skip: you do not bargain with recovery.
Davis did not duck the compliment, but made it bigger. In the same answer, he called Irving a “hell of a player” and a “Hall of Famer,” then shifted the focus to what Irving does for the group when he is available.
“He changed the dynamic of our team,” Davis said.
That line is the most explicit basketball detail in the whole exchange. Not the hypothetical duo. Not the marketing version of a pairing. Just the real-world ramifications of having a creator with elite touch and shot-making ability on the floor.
It is also why Davis is careful with the timeline talk. A single player can change your team’s ceiling, but you still have to make it to April.
Kyrie Irving’s Return Timeline
In December, senior Mavericks reporter Grant Afseth shared that the team hopes Irving will be back before the All-Star break in mid-February 2026.
“I’ve personally liked, from my understanding of the situation, have long held the thought that there’s optimism of a pre-All-Star break return. But that’s not ever been like super like that’s happening, there’s a set guarantee like anything of that nature,” said Afseth on HoopsHype’s new NBA podcast “Around the Beat.”
Meanwhile, earlier this week, ESPN insider Tim McMahon shot down that report on the latest episode of his show “Howdy Partners” with Michael C. Wright.
“With Patrick Dumont in that decision-making seat, what he wants to see is the core trio, and that’s Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Cooper Flagg together before making any major decisions,” McMahon shared.
“Now, the problem with that, Mike, based on what I’m hearing, Kyrie’s not coming back before the trade deadline. And if he does, even if he did, it would be a tiny, tiny sample size. So, you’re not going to have that luxury of that evaluation period before one major decision needs to be made,” he added.
Going into Jan. 9 action, Davis was averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for the Dallas Mavericks while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. However, he suffered a hand injury in a Jan. 8 loss to the Utah Jazz.
What’s more, McMahon and ESPN colleague Tim McMahon report that if surgery is required for the ligament damage Davis sustained, he could be sidelined for months.
Given this development, it appears that any trade of Davis the Mavericks may have been entertaining before the deadline may now be a moot point. As such, even if largely by virtue of unfortunate circumstance, it appears likelier that Mavericks fans will eventually have an opportunity to see now Davis, Irving, and first overall pick Cooper Flagg mesh together on the court.
