Mavs' rumored Kyrie Irving injury update is Nico Harrison's last shot at survival

After the Dallas Mavericks heartbreakingly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis at the beginning of February, the Mavs' universe seemed to collapse. While Dallas was sleepwalking through a nightmare for the days following the trade, everything went even more south about a week later. In Davis's Mavericks debut, he suffered an adductor strain, and then the season became a waiting game for the next few weeks.

The fate of the season would rest upon whether Davis could get healthy in time for the playoffs, as the Mavericks had a good enough roster to contend with Davis and Kyrie Irving leading the way, but that optimistic outlook completely changed on March 3.

In a game against the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center, Irving tore his ACL, simultaneously ending Dallas' season. Fans were excited to get to watch Irving and Davis have a chance to silence the doubters and attempt to put together a deep playoff run once Davis returned to the floor, but their chance to do that was put to bed after Irving went down.

Nico Harrison's fate rests on Kyrie Irving's shoulders

While Irving hasn't been around the team as much since undergoing his ACL surgery at the end of March, he has still been in touch with the guys, providing support whenever he can as the team is fighting their hearts out for the chance to be the first No. 10 seed to escape the Play-In Tournament and make the NBA Playoffs. Updates from the Mavericks have been limited when it comes to Irving and his recovery, but Dallas' rumored mindset on Irving's potential return date from his ACL tear may be just enough to save Nico Harrison's job amid all of the chaos going on around him.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Mavericks are optimistic that Irving could return from his torn ACL before next January, giving him plenty of time to get in the groove of things and gain chemistry with Davis before the playoffs begin in April 2026. Mavericks fans were initially fearful that Irving could be out until after the All-Star break next season, and the fact that the team believes he may return before 2025 ends is an amazing sign for him and Harrison.

Mavericks fans have been calling for Harrison's job ever since he traded Doncic to the Lakers, and while this move will likely always be known as one of the worst trades of all time, Dallas emerging as a real contender and flipping the script would get some of the heat off Harrison's back and get the fan base more engaged again.

But none of this is possible without a strong and timely return from Irving.

If Dallas were to struggle for most of next season and somehow miss the playoffs with Irving being out for much longer than expected, Harrison would likely be on ultra-thin ice. Even though Irving's injury was uncontrollable and unpredictable, the fact that his vision of a Davis-Irving duo resulted in a disaster could lead Patrick Dumont and company to make some tough decisions.

Harrison's squad potentially missing the playoffs two seasons in a row (depending on what happens on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies and next season) would be a nightmare, but if Irving can return by the end of 2025, the chances of that happening are extremely slim (assuming the rest of the roster can stay relatively healthy).

Irving's injury recovery will undoubtedly be the story of next season, and if he can make a timely return and elevate the Mavericks to a championship-level team, Mavs fans may end up seeing much more of Nico Harrison than they'd like.