Duke Blue Devils legend Kyrie Irving has one clear decision to make this NBA season.
Duke Blue Devils legend Kyrie Irving has not yet played during the 2025-26 NBA campaign as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered last March.
Irving has said he will be revealing his plans for the remainder of the season now that the All-Star break is over, but with the Dallas Mavericks sitting at 19-35 and out of playoff contention, Irving's decision should be an obvious one: sit.
Apparently, Irving will have a major say in whether or not he decides to come back, but the Mavericks should have plenty of pull here too considering they signed Irving to a three-year, $119 million contract extension last summer.
Dallas is playing for draft positioning at this point, and throwing Irving back into the mix could toss a wrench into those plans.
Meanwhile, Irving should just take the rest of the season to rehab and prepare for the 2026-27 campaign.
Yes, Irving turns 34 years old next month, so he really does not know how much time he has remaining in his NBA career. But the nine-time All-Star luckily does not rely too much on burst or athleticism, so he should age well.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.Taking that into consideration, Irving should just wait until next year to make his return to the hardwood. Why risk re-injury with just two months remaining in a lost season? Continue to rehab, get right and return to action next fall.
Irving is slated to earn $39.5 million next season and has a $42.4 million player option for 2027-28, so that money is coming regardless.
I understand the idea of trying to shake the cobwebs off now so Irving is even more prepared for a full season next year, but I'm just not sure how much playing in 20 or so games down the stretch here will impact the 2026-27 season for the veteran.
To be quite frank, the Mavericks probably made a mistake extending Irving as it is, especially seeing how they jettisoned Anthony Davis at the trade deadline.
But the right decision for everyone involved here would be for Irving to remain sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, although given the hyper-competitive nature of professional athletes, Irving probably will return this spring.
Duke Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Duke Blue Devils. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.