New rumor silences Mavericks' dangerous Kyrie Irving free agency nightmare

It's been almost two weeks since the Dallas Mavericks miraculously won the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes at the NBA's Draft Lottery, and seemingly overnight, the direction of the franchise flipped. Flagg's addition doesn't just make Dallas' future very enticing, but his skillset can also add to the Mavericks' win-now motto.

While Flagg has been the big talking point over the last few weeks for obvious reasons in Dallas, Kyrie Irving has been making quiet progress in his rehab process after tearing his ACL in March.

While Irving's health is the most important objective for the Mavericks over the next few months, Irving's extension availability this offseason adds another objective Dallas must ace to keep Irving on a long-term deal (since he will likely opt out of his player option).

Kyrie Irving's new deal with Mavericks is all but confirmed

It's unclear when contract talks will begin between the Mavericks and Irving's camp, but there are already positive signs that Irving only wishes to be in a Mavs uniform for the foreseeable future. According to Jake Fischer of "The Stein Line," Irving and the Mavericks appear to be fully on board (subscription required) together when contract extension talks begin this summer.

"No one, to be clear, is forecasting (Kyrie) Irving or (James) Harden to leave their current situations in Dallas and Los Angeles," Fischer wrote. "Long before he sustained a season-ending knee injury in early March, Irving was widely projected to re-sign this summer with the Mavericks."

While this might seem like obvious news, hearing this from an NBA insider all but confirms Irving is returning to the Mavericks on another multi-year contract. Signing a new deal just months after suffering a career-altering injury may seem like bad news to some fans, but there's no doubt Irving will only return to the floor when he feels fully healthy.

Irving is expected to ink a three-year extension with the Mavericks when negotiations do begin, but there's reason to believe Irving may not sign for the full amount. Given the fact that this could be one of Irving's last high-dollar extensions, it would be a huge ask if he could take a pay cut to create roster flexibility for the Mavericks.

With the Mavericks' current roster, adding Flagg would put the team over the second apron threshold, leaving them with little flexibility to make trades or even offseason signings. If Irving were to take a pay cut, it would give the Mavericks some much-needed financial flexibility that they could use to bring in a legitimate ball handler to keep Irving from needing to rush a return to the court.

Heading into the offseason, the Mavericks' top two priorities are selecting Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick and extending Irving to avoid a headache next summer. While Irving may not be the player he once was when he returns from injury, his inclusion in the locker room alone could make him a sought-after target if the Mavericks let him walk.

While it's going to be a long road waiting for Irving to make his return, his impact on the community and younger players makes him a great veteran to have around your future franchise star in Flagg.

Only time will tell how much Irving exactly signs for, but knowing Irving will likely extend this summer leaves the Mavericks with a huge headache they can avoid.