Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL against the Sacramento Kings last Monday, disputed the notion that his injury was the result of playing too many minutes.

Irving showed a picture of the play that led to the injury. The Associated Press provided more details.

"Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a drive to the basket and his right foot landed on the foot of the Kings' Jonas Valančiūnas," the AP wrote. "He lost his balance and then landed awkwardly on his left leg, and his knee appeared to hyperextend before he fell to the floor."

Irving notably averaged 39.3 minutes per game in 10 contests since Feb. 4, a date that marked his first matchup played after the Mavs traded his backcourt mate, five-time All-NBA player Luka Dončić, per Basketball-Reference. He averaged 35.9 MPG for the season before that date.

The Mavericks have been devastated by injuries, with Irving, Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist sprain), Kai Jones (left quad strain) and Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) all out.

Irving's injury is particularly upsetting given that he'll certainly be out into next year at this point. He was an invaluable part of the team's run to the NBA Finals last season alongside Dončić and had been playing well in the post-Luka era (28.1 PPG in his last 10 full games).

Unfortunately, Irving is now sidelined, and the Mavs are left wondering about their future as everything has gone horribly wrong for the team in the past month-plus.

Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis could be getting closer to playing in games again.

The Mavs announced on Friday that Davis is "improving daily" from his left adductor strain and has been cleared for "more dynamic on-court movements."

Davis, 31, has had injuries derail the start of his Mavs tenure. In his debut with the team on Feb. 8, he suffered a left adductor strain that has kept him sidelined for the past 10 games.

Before the shocking trade that sent him to Dallas and Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis averaged 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game in 42 appearances.

In Dallas, the 10-time All-Star, four-time first-team All-NBA selection, two-time Olympic gold medalist and one-time NBA champion was expected to pair with Kyrie Irving to give the Mavericks a strong inside-outside duo. His addition was also expected to improve the team defensively given his status as one of the top rim-protectors in basketball.

His struggles with injuries left Irving to carry a large load, however, and have cost the pair time to develop chemistry together. Any hope that might happen before the end of the regular season was dashed on Monday when Irving suffered a torn ACL in a loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Mavs (32-31) have lost three straight and five of their last six games. They are holding on to the No. 10 seed and final spot in the play-in tournament with a 2.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks' outlook for the remainder of the 2024-25 season is bleak.

"Dallas is just hopeless right now," an NBA scout told ESPN's Tim Bontemps this week. "There's just no scoring ability without Kyrie. There's just not enough talent with all these injuries."

A big domino fell Monday when guard Kyrie Irving went down for the season with a torn ACL. In addition to Irving, Dallas is without Anthony Davis (adductor), Daniel Gafford (knee) and Dereck Lively II (ankle). Davis, who was a key piece brought back in February's Luka Dončić trade, is improving and "has been cleared for more dynamic on-court movements," per the Dallas Morning News' Mike Curtis, though ESPN's Shams Charania previously speculated the big man could be shut down for the year.

The Mavericks are 32-31 and 10th in the Western Conference. They hold a 2.5-game lead on the Phoenix Suns for the final play-in tournament spot and are 4-6 in their last 10 games.

The current roster will be led by Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington, but it will be an uphill battle to keep pace in a loaded Western Conference.

One month after the Dallas Mavericks stunned the world by trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, former team governor Mark Cuban shared some thoughts about the move.

Appearing on ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas (starts at 6:30 mark), Cuban said it was on the Mavs to "get a better deal" once they made the decision to move Dončić.

Cuban explained he wasn't trying to disrespect Anthony Davis as the headliner in the deal, but the Mavs should have negotiated for a trade with four unprotected picks on top of Davis and Max Christie.

The full details of the trade saw Dallas receive Davis, Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick from Los Angeles for Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. The Utah Jazz were also included in the deal, receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino and two 2025 second-round draft picks.

The Mavericks' entire approach regarding the Dončić trade was baffling. Rather than try to set up a bidding war among the other 29 teams in the NBA, they tried to keep talks as secretive as possible.

The Athletic's Fred Katz, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick reported on Feb. 3 that the Mavs only had "deep negotiations" with the Lakers, though they did call at least one other team to inquire about their interest in swapping Dončić for another star-level player.

Mavs general manager Nico Harrison cited the trade as improving the team's title window for the next three to four seasons, even though they just reached the NBA Finals last season with Dončić as their best player.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin), the Mavericks had also grown frustrated with Dončić's "discipline regarding his diet and conditioning" that they felt had been a contributing factor in his injury issues.

One problem with Harrison's logic is the age difference between the two central pieces in the deal. Dončić just turned 26 on Feb. 28; Davis will turn 32 on March 11.

Davis has had injury issues throughout his career and has only played one game for Dallas since the trade due to an adductor strain. Dončić has had some durability concerns in his career up to this point, but the combination of his age and incredibly high level of performance through his first seven seasons makes him the type of player you almost never see traded in the NBA.

Dallas' title chances this season seemingly went out the window on Tuesday when it was revealed Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL in Monday's loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Irving's injury has led to speculation that Davis could be shut down for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are 8-2 with Dončić in the starting lineup and have won eight straight games overall. They have vaulted up to second in the Western Conference standings.

It's safe to assume if Cuban were still in place as Mavs governor, trading Dončić is something that never would have been considered by the organization.

A roller coaster of a season for the Dallas Mavericks got worse Tuesday when they announced guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the campaign after suffering a torn ACL, but general manager Nico Harrison believes the best is yet to come for the nine-time All-Star.

ESPN's Shams Charania relayed a statement from Harrison that praised Irving's work ethic, compared him to Kobe Bryant and said, "All my thoughts and that of our staff are with Kyrie and his family, and we are confident that he will come back from this stronger than ever just like he always has."

Irving suffered the injury while driving to the basket during Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings. He remained in the game and shot the ensuing free throws but was then helped to the locker room.

That he stayed in to make the free throws makes Harrison's comparison to Bryant more notable, as the Los Angeles Lakers great famously hit two free throws after suffering a torn Achilles during his career.

The loss of Irving is yet another blow for a Mavericks team that now looks nothing like the version that made the NBA Finals last season.

Luka Dončić is now on the Lakers following a shocking trade, his former backcourt running mate is out for the season and Anthony Davis, who was the primary piece of the return package in the Dončić deal, is currently sidelined with his own injury.

What's more, Charania appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and said Davis might not play again the rest of this season after the Irving injury greatly impacted Dallas' chances to make a deep playoff run.

The Mavericks are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference standings, but it wouldn't be a surprise if they fall out of the play-in tournament entirely if Davis doesn't return. Missing him and Irving would leave them notably short-handed down the stretch.

As for Irving, he was having an excellent season as an All-Star who was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from deep.

But Mavericks fans will have to wait until next season to cheer for him again, although Harrison still has high expectations for the guard moving forward.

After being ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving is staying positive about his eventual return.

Irving spoke to fans during an Instagram Live session and vowed, "I will be back, I will be better" before later adding that "this is not the end of the story, this is just the beginning of a new chapter."

Beyond his optimistic outlook, Irving acknowledged that he's still recovering mentally from the shock after suffering a torn ACL in Monday night's game against the Sacramento Kings.

"This one hurts for sure. It hurts. It’s painful to deal with this at this point," Irving said, later adding, "It does suck a lot; I’m not gonna lie to you guys."

The injury occurred late in the first quarter of Monday's game. Irving had to be helped to his feet, but he made two free throws before being helped back to the locker room.

"If I didn't make those free throws, I would have been pissed," Irving said on Instagram Live.

Irving was the unquestioned leader of a Mavs team that traded away star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last month. Since the trade, Irving led the league with 39.3 minutes per game, shouldering a load that eventually became too heavy to bear.

The injury ends what was shaping up to be an All-NBA-caliber season for Irving, as he finishes with averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. The 32-year-old has a $43 million player option for the final year of his contract with Dallas in 2025-26, so it remains to be seen if the injury affects his thought process.

The Mavs have been mired by misfortune for the past few months. In addition to trading Doncic and losing Irving, the team also lost big men Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to injuries as well.

The Mavs will begin life without Irving when they return to action on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

After Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving appeared to suffer a devastating knee injury in Monday night's loss to the Sacramento Kings, the team had its worst fears confirmed.

The Mavs announced Tuesday that Irving was diagnosed with a torn ACL after initially being diagnosed with a left knee sprain.

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported that Irving's season was over.

Irving suffered the injury late in the first quarter of Monday night's game when he landed awkwardly on his left knee. He had to be helped back to his feet, and he made two free throws with tears rolling down his face before being helped back to the locker room. Dallas went on to suffer a 122-98 loss against Sacramento, its fourth loss in its last five games.

The injury ends what was shaping up to be a stellar season for Irving, who finishes with averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. ESPN's Bobby Marks pointed out that the 32-year-old is no longer eligible for All-NBA honors as well as $2 million in bonuses for game appearances. He has a $43 million player option for the 2025-26 season, and it remains to be seen how this injury will affect his decision-making.

Dallas will also be without guard Jaden Hardy "for a period of time" after he suffered an ankle sprain on Monday night, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.

This marks the latest setback for the Mavs following their shocking trade of star guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last month.

Star center Anthony Davis, who was the key acquisition from shipping away Dončić, lasted just three quarters in his Dallas debut before suffering an adductor strain that ruled him out indefinitely. Veteran center Daniel Gafford later suffered a sprained MCL that ruled him out for at least six weeks. Forward Caleb Martin, who was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers at the trade deadline, has yet to wear a Mavs uniform while remaining sidelined with a hip injury.

Meanwhile, Dončić is thriving with the Lakers, who have won six straight games and now rank second in the Western Conference with a 38-21 record.

After falling to 32-30 following Monday's loss, Dallas is clinging to the No. 10 spot in the West. It wouldn't be a surprise if the loss of Irving causes the Mavs to nosedive down the standings.

The Dallas Mavericks announced guard Kyrie Irving suffered a left knee sprain during the first quarter of Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings and will not return.

He went down to the ground and grabbed his knee after driving to the basket and was helped to the locker room. While he did remain in the game to shoot two free throws, he struggled to put any weight on his leg as he was helped off:

After the injury, former Mavs teammate Luka Dončić showed his support on social media:

Irving has dealt with some recent ailments, including when he underwent surgery after he broke his left hand during an offseason workout. ESPN's Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon also reported on Jan. 6 that he was expected to miss at least one or two weeks with a bulging disc in his back.

This all came after injuries limited the 32-year-old to 58 games during his first full season with the Mavericks in 2023-24.

However, Irving was healthy for the playoffs last season and helped lead Dallas to the NBA Finals, where it lost to the Boston Celtics.

When healthy, the nine-time All-Star is still one of the best perimeter playmakers in the league and gives the Mavericks a go-to option even after trading Dončić. He entered play averaging 25.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from deep in 2024-25.

If Irving is sidelined by his latest injury concern, look for the combination of Spencer Dinwiddie, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy to see more playing time.

Even though Luka Dončić is generally regarded as one of the five best active players in the NBA and had made the All-NBA first team five times by the age of 25, the Dallas Mavericks seemed to have no interest in him being their franchise player.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison was "determined" to trade Dončić no later than this summer because they didn't want to build a team orbiting around the five-time All-Star:

"Yet naturally now, with a bit of distance from the initial shock, you have begun to hear more of the whispers that the Mavericks had somehow concealed for months. Whispers via league sources suggesting that Dallas' decision-makers, most notably general manager Nico Harrison, no longer wanted Planet Mavericks to orbit around Dončić and had grown determined to trade him by this summer at the latest."

In the immediate aftermath of the trade that sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was known the Mavs had "major concerns" about his conditioning issues as he was set to become eligible for a supermax contract this summer.

The Athletic's Christian Clark, Mike Vorkunov and Fred Katz reported on Feb. 17 that Dallas was "never going to offer" Dončić the five-year, $345 million supermax extension, adding credence to the notion he would've been traded in the offseason if the Lakers' deal hadn't come to fruition.

Speaking to ESPN's Tim MacMahon in the aftermath of the trade (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin), Harrison said his motivation behind the trade was to build an elite defensive team with Anthony Davis as the focal point that can compete for a title.

"I believe that defense wins championships," Harrison said "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."

There's definitely something to the notion that Dončić may not age gracefully. He's only played 70 games in a season twice in his career and has missed at least 12 games in four consecutive seasons, including the 2024-25 campaign.

But the ceiling for a team with Dončić at the center of everything is extremely high. We know this because he just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference last season.

Dončić averaged 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game in 22 starts during the playoffs last season.

Harrison has to hope that his gamble is right because if the Mavs don't win enough in the coming years, his job status is already under an intense microscope for doing this trade.

Even if Harrison had backing from Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont to make the move, things can change in a hurry if the organization begins to struggle.

A local Dallas artist who provided a song for a Dallas Mavericks hype video says the team did not remove former superstar Luka Dončić from footage included with the track.

The Mavericks posted a social media video on Friday featuring several players on the team, with Dončić seemingly replaced by a silhouette and a team logo in brief clips. The post has since been deleted.

Dorrough, the Dallas rapper who made the song for the video, took to his X account and denied that Dončić was the silhouette in question:

Dallas sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package centered around Anthony Davis and a 2029 first-round pick on Feb. 2.

It was a shocking move, with the five-time All-Star leading the Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance during the 2023-24 season.

"You can imagine how surprised I was," Dončić said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I had to check if it was April 1. I didn't really believe it."

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that Dallas made the trade partly due to the forward's "constant conditioning issues" as well as the "looming commitment" of a contract extension during the 2025 offseason.

Dončić was eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million extension in the summer (via ESPN's Bobby Marks). Per Marks, the 25-year-old can sign a five-year contract worth $229 million with the Lakers instead.

He still appears to be adjusting to the change of scenery, averaging 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on 35.6/20.8/58.3 shooting splits in three appearances with his new team.

The Mavericks are still set to honor his overall tenure as a member of the organization, as they're reportedly planning a tribute video for Dončić when the Lakers travel to the American Airlines Center on April 9.