Kyrie Irving due for 'pivotal' season that will make or break the Mavericks

The start of the 2024-25 NBA season is roughly three months away, but Dallas Mavericks fans are counting down the days until their favorite team steps onto the hardwood once again.

While Dallas fell short in the 2024 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, the team has made moves this summer to do their best to ensure that the Mavs are a top team for years to come. Their biggest move came early in free agency when they made a sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson, and since then, they signed Spencer Dinwiddie.

Both of those moves are going to help Dallas improve next season, but the biggest weight of the season will fall upon Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's shoulders.

Kyrie Irving due for 'pivotal' season since he has a player option next summer

Doncic and Irving were one of the best duos in the NBA last season, but down the stretch, they both fell short. Both were for different reasons, as Doncic was battling injuries and Irving wasn't himself in the NBA Finals, and this season is set to be a big one for Irving.

The NBA.com staff wrote a piece on "8 potentially pivotal players" for free agency next summer and listed Irving as one of the top players. They talked about how Irving has a player option after next season, and "he could be tempted to use his player option to enter free agency for long-term contract security" if he has another spectacular season.

This is all speculative at this point, but Irving testing the waters of free agency next summer could change everything for the Mavs. Although he and Doncic form an incredible duo and they made it to the NBA Finals last season, would the Mavs still re-sign him to a long deal next summer (if he were to opt out) even if they fell short of expectations next season?

It's definitely something to think about, and it could turn into a hard situation for the Mavs if Irving does opt out of his player option. Things get tricky because Doncic has a player option after the 2025-26 season as well.

If an extension weren't done at this point, the easy choice for Doncic would be to opt out for more money (from the Mavs or a different team). While no signs are pointing to Doncic wanting out of Dallas, extending a big multi-year contract to Irving next summer would be risky considering his age and injury history. It also would be a risk if there was any uncertainty about Doncic's future in Dallas.

Irving stayed healthy down the stretch last season for the Mavs, but he still only played in 58 games. Since leaving the Boston Celtics before the 2019-20 season, Irving is averaging just over 44 games per season.

That is not the best odds when thinking about giving him a lengthy contract extension, and it doesn't help that he broke his hand this summer either.

Next season will definitely be a "pivotal" one for Irving, and him choosing to opt out of his contract next summer would definitely put the Mavs in an interesting position and they'd have to make some big decisions.

Irving and Doncic are rolling with steam after an impressive run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and their time together as running mates may just be getting started.

For all the latest on Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks all offseason long, stay tuned as we'll have you covered.