Mavericks Embrace Tanking With Latest Kyrie Irving Injury Announcement

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been out since last March, when he tore the ACL in his left knee against the Sacramento Kings. Speculation about his return has run rampant since, but he has yet to play this season, and we are nearing a year since the injury.

On Wednesday morning, it was announced that Irving would miss the remainder of the season.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement released by the organization. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates, and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.

"And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day. THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”

ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania also released a small statement from Irving's agent and step-mother, Shetellia Riley Irving: "This is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season."

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that guard Kyrie Irving will not return to play during the 2025-26 NBA season as he continues his recovery from ACL reconstruction surgery performed in 2025.

Full Release: https://t.co/1YhqoDPMqd
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) February 18, 2026

In the offseason, former general manager Nico Harrison said that he thought Irving was ahead of schedule, and in the early part of the season, Jason Kidd said it'd be nice to have him before New Year's. That never happened. Even Marc Spears was of the belief that Irving could have been playing long before now if it were the playoffs and they needed him.

However, most reports seemed to point toward Irving being cleared at some point after the All-Star Break, but that didn't mean he'd play. With the team essentially out of the playoff race, Irving made the decision to sit out the remainder of the season.

Jan 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Mavericks May Look to Fully Embrace Tanking

The Mavericks were already a bad team, as they've lost 9 straight games for the first time since the 1990s, and sit with a 19-35 record. They're technically not out of the Play-In Tournament mix, but they just traded away Anthony Davis at the trade deadline for a package centered around expiring contracts and draft capital.

This team is competing night in and night out, but the focus has to be about preserving and emphasizing their 2026 first-round pick, as it's the last first-round pick they have control over until 2031. And with how loaded the 2026 Draft class is, they have to maximize it to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star.

Cooper Flagg may also be on the mend for the time being. He suffered a midfoot sprain before the All-Star Break and was seen in a boot at a few games at Duke over the weekend. They will likely tell him to take his time with his recovery, even if he's as competitive as they come.

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