Feb 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks on after he makes a three point shot against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL during Monday evening’s game against the Sacramento Kings, according to multiple reports.
Irving’s season is over, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Realistically, the season is over for the Mavericks as well.
Irving, 32, was having one of his best, most consistent seasons since demanding a trade away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. A surprise to many around the league, his pairing with Luka Dončić in Dallas worked right away.
Even more surprising was when Dončić was the superstar shipped out of Dallas for Anthony Davis, who injured himself in his debut with the Mavericks. He has been sidelined for about a month with the same left adductor injury that derailed his debut in Dallas.
General manager Nico Harrison’s decision to trade away Dončić somehow looks even worse than it did when it happened.
Not only are Dončić’s Los Angeles Lakers greatly improved and looking to make noise in the NBA playoffs, but the pairing of Davis and Irving is also dead. The Mavericks are the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference and should honestly look toward the NBA draft lottery instead of the play-in tournament.
While rumors continue to circulate about the Mavericks being unhappy with Dončić’s conditioning, eating and drinking habits, the decision to trade him away was a miscalculation of epic proportions. It never made sense to ship out one of the faces of basketball for an injury-prone star in Davis.
Without Irving, the rest of this season is absolutely pointless for the Mavericks.
Harrison is likely the man who will ultimately be held responsible for this debacle. While Davis is under contract until his player option in the 2027-28 season, that does not mean much if he does not have a healthy superstar paired with him.
Irving has a player option this offseason. While his time in Dallas has been greatly successful, he has previously stated his desire to walk away from the game of basketball at an early age. It would certainly be a shock to the NBA community if one of the top point guards in the game retired now, but Irving is unpredictable, and this is a devastating injury.
For the rest of the players in the Dallas locker room, there’s really not much left to play for. Be a play-in team and get decimated in the first round of the playoffs? That does not sound fun.
Harrison should accept the reality that he made one of the most short-sighted trades in NBA history, helped a Western Conference rival become a legitimate title contender, and completely screwed his organization out of immediate or future contention.
Feel bad for Mavericks fans. At least they have the Cowboys.
