Mavericks Fans Get The Kyrie Irving Injury Update They've Been Waiting On

By the time the preseason starts in October, it will have been 18 months since we saw Kyrie Irving go down with a torn ACL.

Despite a lot of rumors last year stating he may return, the Dallas Mavericks announced late in the season that he would sit out the rest of the year to recover. It made sense given how far outside the postseason picture the Mavs were.

It seems now that Irving is fully ready to go for the 2026-27 season, though.

ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania provided an update on Irving on Monday night, stating, "My understanding is Kyrie Irving's rehab has gone amazing. There was a sense during last season that, you know, if the Mavericks were playing at a very competitive level, like Kyrie Irving could have potentially come back in December, January, but given the way the season was going, and it obviously didn't make sense for the Mavericks either to rush Kyrie Irving back onto the floor.

"...He’s fully recovered, 100% with that ACL tear from a couple seasons ago. He’s been fully entrenched in the Mavericks plans this offseason."

Shams Charania on Kyrie Irving:

“He’s fully recovered, 100% from that ACL tear… He’s been fully entrenched with the Mavericks plans this offseason.”

(via @stephenasmith) pic.twitter.com/pysN0c8xXP
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) July 28, 2026

Charania also revealed that Irving has had conversations with new head coach Dusty May, new team president Masai Ujiri, and new general manager Mike Schmitz.

There has been plenty of trade interest in Kyrie Irving this offseason. The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves were among a few teams calling the Mavs, but the Mavericks have turned down every conversation thus far.

Even when LeBron James tried to have the Cleveland Cavaliers trade for Irving in a potential homecoming, it didn't appear that the Mavericks or Irving were interested in making anything happen. Irving has been happy in Dallas, and that makes a huge difference these days.

Oct 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks injured guard Kyrie Irving walks across the court during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kyrie Irving Returning Is Better Than Any Addition Mavericks Could've Made

It's been a mostly quiet offseason for the Mavericks, as they didn't make any free agent signings, and the trades they made were more for depth pieces: Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, and Tarik Biberovic.

Free agency is mostly dead now, as the tax aprons and restrictions have everyone scared of making a major move.

Getting Kyrie Irving back from a year off is better than any move the Mavs were realistically going to make this offseason. He's an elite ball-handler and shot-maker, which will fill two of their biggest needs for this season.

Whether Irving will return to being the same level of player he was pre-injury is something we'll just have to find out once the season starts.

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