The latest injury report surrounding Kyrie Irving has left the Dallas Mavericks’ fan base disappointed. After trading for Irving in 2023, the Mavericks were able to make it all the way to the 2024 NBA Finals in his first full season with the team.
Although the Mavericks caught the NBA world off guard by trading away Luka Dončić the following season, some held out hope that the combination of Irving and Anthony Davis would be enough to help the Mavericks win an NBA championship.
Unfortunately, those hopes were crushed after Irving tore his ACL in March 2025, during a game against the Sacramento Kings. Since several months have passed, fans have slowly begun to ponder Irving’s status and his potential return to the Mavericks.
Will Kyrie Irving Return for the Dallas Mavericks This Season?
Not having a healthy Irving in the lineup has prevented fans from seeing the current Mavericks lineup at full strength. After all, Irving is considered by many to be one of the most skilled guards in the history of the league.
A torn ACL typically takes approximately nine months to heal fully. This number could extend up to a year in the case of professional athletes, who frequently push their bodies to the limit.
While the Mavericks fanbase may have hoped that Irving would be able to rejoin his team in a few months, a report from NBA reporter Marc Stein indicates that there is no fixed timeline for his return to the team.
“I continue to be told that there is no firm return date in mind for Irving, who sustained a torn ACL in his left knee March 3 against Sacramento and had surgery in late March. Any timeline, as relayed to me over the weekend, must continue to be described as “fluid” even though the 33-year-old does look undeniably good every time he is seen in public with a ball in his hands.”
Marc Stein on Kyrie Irving:
“I continue to be told that there is no firm return date in mind for Irving, who sustained a torn ACL in his left knee March 3 against Sacramento and had surgery in late March. Any timeline, as relayed to me over the weekend, must continue to be… pic.twitter.com/jY8anzgx21
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) November 3, 2025
Since Irving is not a young star, compared to others dealing with injuries such as Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, it would be unfair to expect him to recover faster than expected.
In fact, it might be in the Mavericks’ best interests to shut down Irving for the remainder of the season and focus solely on developing young players on their roster, such as Cooper Flagg. Although that would remove any chance of them contending for a title this season, it keeps their championship aspirations alive.
Knowing that Irving would not be in the court for the foreseeable future, the Mavericks acquired D’Angelo Russell in an attempt to find a temporary substitute. Although Russell is nowhere near Irving in terms of talent and accomplishments, he is a talented guard who can help the Mavericks stay afloat. Fans can hope that Irving will have a speedy recovery and rehabilitation process to help his team salvage this season.