The Dallas Mavericks have a lot going on these days. They are hours away from being on the clock with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and the chance to select Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. It\u2019s a position that appeared nearly impossible entering last month\u2019s draft lottery.<\/p>\n
As momentous as adding a generational talent is, an important business decision loomed Tuesday with the Mavericks\u2019 star point guard. It was the final day for Kyrie Irving to decide whether to opt in to his $43.9 million player option for the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
Irving declined the option, instead signing a new three-year deal with the Mavericks with a player option for 2027-28, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.<\/p>\n
Monday, the day after the final game of the NBA Finals, marked the first that each NBA team could begin negotiating with upcoming free agents already on its roster. The new contract cannot be signed until July 6.<\/p>\n
ESPN first reported the news of Irving\u2019s decision. The 9-time All-Star guard reposted the announcement on X with Irving\u2019s Lakota name, which translates to Little Mountain. He also wrote, \u201cTribe, Maktub,\u201d which means \u201cit is written\u201d in Arabic.<\/p>\n
Irving had no plans to leave Dallas, where he\u2019s become the unequivocal team leader, especially after Luka Doncic was traded in February.<\/p>\n
His previous deal was a three-year extension he signed in 2023 worth a little over $40 million annually, including a player option in the final year. He will make just under $40 million annually in his new contract, but there is a new long-term commitment between the Mavericks and the 9-time All-Star.<\/p>\n
Irving\u2019s contract situation was a bit more complicated this time around because the 33-year-old guard tore the ACL in his left leg March 3 and is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season. He doesn\u2019t have a timetable to return, but the expectation is it will be during the regular season and ahead of the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Dallas\u2019 front office will prioritize finding a point guard during the offseason to fill the offensive void left by Irving\u2019s absence. His new deal gives the Mavericks financial flexibility to utilize their full $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception to find a formidable option in free agency. Had Irving opted in, Dallas would\u2019ve remained restricted by the second apron cap hold.<\/p>\n
Irving discussed the Mavericks\u2019 slim chance to land the No. 1 pick, along with his excitement for the franchise, during an appearance on NBA TV during Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time to be a Dallas Maverick,\u201d Irving said. \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time to be a Dallas Mavericks fan. Shoutout to MFFL, all the supporters that have been rocking with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting this No. 1 pick, we had a 1.8% chance. So, I loved it. I enjoyed seeing all of the excitement not only from the city, but from our executive leadership. From our ownership group. From my teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Irving\u2019s teammates, Daniel Gafford, is close to finalizing a new three-year extension worth nearly $60 million, solidifying the team\u2019s frontcourt depth that also includes Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II.<\/p>\n
Irving\u2019s new deal keeps him aligned with the remaining two years left on Davis\u2019 contract, which also has a player option for the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n
Another player with an option for next season was Dallas veteran center Dwight Powell, who has exercised the final year of his contract for $4 million next season, a person familiar with the situation told The Dallas Morning News.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise Powell intends to return to the franchise he joined in 2014, his rookie year. As a Mavericks fixture the last 11 years, he has witnessed the twilight of Dirk Nowitzki\u2019s career and the dynamic 6 1\/2 seasons of the Doncic era. Powell will potentially enter a new era in franchise history if Dallas drafts Flagg on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an era that will keep Irving as one of the faces of the franchise.<\/p>\n
X\/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2<\/p>\n
The Dallas Mavericks are on the cusp of a new era, with Kyrie Irving leading the charge. With his new three-year deal, the team has secured a long-term commitment from their star point guard. The Mavericks are also poised to add a generational talent in Cooper Flagg, and with the financial flexibility provided by Irving\u2019s new deal, they can make moves to fill the void left by his absence.<\/p>\n
A: Kyrie Irving has signed a new three-year deal with the Mavericks, with a player option for the 2027-28 season. He will make just under $40 million annually in his new contract.<\/p>\n
A: Irving declined his player option to sign a new deal that provides a long-term commitment between him and the Mavericks. The new deal also gives the team financial flexibility to make moves in free agency.<\/p>\n
A: Cooper Flagg is a Duke freshman who is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft. The Mavericks have a chance to select him with their first overall pick.<\/p>\n
A: Irving’s new deal provides a long-term commitment from the team’s star point guard and gives the Mavericks financial flexibility to make moves in free agency. It also keeps him aligned with the remaining two years left on Anthony Davis’ contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dallas Mavericks: A New Era Unfolds The Dallas Mavericks have a lot going on these days. They are hours away from being on the clock with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and the chance to select Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. It\u2019s a position that appeared nearly impossible entering last month\u2019s draft […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/GZAYISW6XFAVZOIHEADGOZXZYU.jpg?auth=5a7dd856f5c17b325c29ea1762dfe7ecb54f43be3a398278e2f7743c0e880a73&height=630&width=1200&focal=2134,1276&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8212"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8214,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212\/revisions\/8214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}