Overview
- Irving told fans on a Twitch livestream that he is "definitely close to being over at 100 percent" in his ACL recovery, comments made publicly on Friday.
- Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz has said Irving has been at the team facility almost every day and praised his work ethic and rehab approach.
- No specific return date has been set and training camp is still months away, so the club is not rushing a timeline for his on-court comeback.
- Irving has one guaranteed season left on his contract plus a 2027–28 player option, a financial structure that keeps open the possibility of him staying in Dallas or being traded.
- At 34, coming off a year missed after the March 3, 2025 ACL tear and with 24.7 points per game in his last active season, his recovery will shape Dallas’s short-term plans and how quickly Cooper Flagg can be paired with veteran scoring and ball creation.