Kyrie Irving's viral gesture confirms he's a Maverick for good

Coming off arguably their best win of the season, the Dallas Mavericks have three more games until their Christmas Day matchup versus the Golden State Warriors, but Kyrie Irving chose to preemptively ring in the holiday season for his Mavericks teammates, as Irving gifted every single one of his teammates a golf cart at a Mavericks community event a few days ago.

There were inklings that Dallas might hold conversations with Irving and his camp over whether it was best to seek a trade for him following Dallas' slow start and the firing of Nico Harrison. However, recent reports have indicated Irving wants to stay in Dallas, and this thoughtful gesture he pulled for his teammates practically confirms this.

Irving has been a steward of the community and the ultimate leader for Dallas ever since he was traded here in February of 2023, and this clearly hasn't changed whatsoever. Irving is a very thoughtful guy in general, so he may have even gotten his teammates something for Christmas, even if his position on the team was in a state of flux, but it's irrefutable that he'll be in Dallas beyond this season based on the aforementioned reports and this gesture of good faith.

Irving's kind gesture shows he's staying in Dallas for foreseeable future

Despite sitting outside the play-in race right now, this Mavericks team has defied expectations recently, as Dallas is now 11-17 and only 4.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the seventh seed in the West, so there's definitely more reason for Irving to return to the lineup compared to a few weeks ago.

With Irving set to turn 34 years old toward the end of March, it's a risky bet to bring him back prematurely from his ACL tear, so Dallas can't let their recent success dictate when Irving returns, but all signs would point toward him coming back this season if the Mavericks continue to win at their current rate.

Irving has been committed to the Mavericks throughout all the highs and lows this season, as him gifting golf carts to all his teammates is a microcosm of the leadership he's displayed this season. Irving has been present on the sidelines for most of Dallas' games, and he's practically been a second coach for young guards on the team, such as Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard, often giving them pointers mid-game and in practice.

There haven't been any recent updates to Irving's recovery or whether he'll return this season, but it was reported Irving could return to the lineup if the playoffs started tomorrow a few weeks ago, which would make things interesting as far as Dallas' ceiling is concerned. The tandem of Nembhard and Williams is proving to be a sustainable stop-gap solution to Dallas' point guard spot, but Irving would give Dallas a different level of shot creation if he comes back and looks like his old self.

Again, Dallas can't rush this process with Irving whatsoever, but it's clear Irving is committed to this Mavericks team after signing an extension this past offseason, despite how easy it would've been for someone of his stature to command a trade following a tough 5-15 start. At this point, there's no question Dallas and Irving plan on continuing their relationship with the Cooper Flagg era just taking off, and if/when Irving returns this season should be the only concern fans have regarding him.