Mavericks' rumored Kyrie Irving hope will be the perfect end to a nightmare season

The Dallas Mavericks' season has gone nowhere according to plan as they sit at 20-36 with just over 25 games remaining, but some positive Kyrie Irving news could be on the way if the latest rumors prove to be true. Irving has obviously been shut down for the rest of the 2025-26 season as he recovers from a torn ACL that he suffered last March, but the Mavericks would at least like to see him go through an entire practice (subscription required) before the season is over.

This is great news, especially since it hasn't even been a year since Irving tore his ACL against the Sacramento Kings, and this would give the coaching staff and front office a good look at how he would fit next to Cooper Flagg in real five-on-five action ahead of a crucial offseason.

Dallas' entire focus moving forward is building a contender around Irving and Flagg, and this is exactly why both players were untouchable in trade talks at the trade deadline. The Mavericks have faith in Irving and Flagg's on-court partnership, and seeing how they fit alongside one another will allow the front office to better gauge the type of players that they need to add around them.

Kyrie Irving's return to the practice court will pay dividends

Going into next season blind would've been a challenge, and NBA insider Marc Stein's report about Dallas at least seeing Irving practice at full speed once this season is exactly what they need.

"Dallas is hopeful Kyrie Irving will return to a full-speed practice or two at some point during the final six weeks of the regular season even though Irving has been ruled out from playing in an actual game again before next season," Stein reported.

The Mavericks likely won't have many more chances to practice before the end of the regular season, but making it a goal to see Irving go through a full practice would be the perfect end to a disappointing season. Dallas, being a lottery team two years in a row after reaching the NBA Finals in 2024, isn't what anyone expected, and while fans would've loved to see Irving play this season, sitting him for the rest of the season was the obvious right choice.

The Mavericks now have the chance to focus on the future while improving their lottery odds, and finding a young co-star to pair with Flagg and Irving looks extremely likely as the 2026 NBA Draft approaches. Dallas is looking like a lock to pick somewhere in the top 10 if they don't get hot down the final stretch of the season, and there are plenty of young players to pick from as this is one of the most loaded draft classes that we've seen in years.

In order to see who the Mavs should pick in this draft, though, they need to figure out how Irving and Flagg play together. This is exactly what they're shooting for as the 2025-26 season comes to a close, and Irving getting some full-speed practices in will prove to be a major blessing as Dallas enters the Cooper Flagg era.