Jason Kidd Cannot Contain His Excitement For Kyrie Irving’s Return To The Mavericks Next Season

Kyrie Irving has spent the whole of the 2025-26 season recovering from his ACL injury and working his way back to fitness. Although the Dallas Mavericks were optimistic about an early return at one point, that hope has since been shelved.

The Mavericks have had a difficult season with just Cooper Flagg left to carry the team. They’re 23-48 and 13th in the West. So they aren’t going to make the play-ins. Their aim as of now is to get Flagg minutes to settle into the big league, tank games, and have better odds at a high pick in a loaded draft class. 

Irving, meanwhile, is focusing on getting back to 100% fitness for the 2026-27 season. And that has helped head coach Jason Kidd sleep better at night. After all, with a second-year Flagg, a potentially great rookie or two, and Irving back in action, the Mavericks can cook next season. And Kidd is pumped to even think about that.

“Understanding the offensive end of the ball, he would help in all categories. His shooting, his scoring. And then the biggest is if we can put ourselves in 40 clutch games, you have a closer. A born closer, who I’m not going to say is going to win all 40 games for you. But it puts you in a better seat,” Kidd said.

The Mavericks have been missing a veteran presence like Irving this season. After the team traded away Anthony Davis at the deadline, they had no highly experienced player who knew how to close games. 

Flagg has averaged 20 ppg, which is great for a 19-year-old rookie. But without Irving, the Mavericks have been missing a steady offensive force with playoff experience.

“For us to not have him all year, you know, that’s impossible to cover up, even by a committee. Just because of the things that he can do at the highest level,” Kidd admitted.

Jason Kidd on his excitement to get Kyrie Irving back next season:

– he will help the offense in “all categories”
– “the biggest” thing is his ability as a closer. Dallas was in clutch games constantly this season, and having a “born closer” back will help. pic.twitter.com/JYF2dIzsqg

— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) March 24, 2026

Irving, who was traded to the Mavericks in 2023, has played a big role in their franchise ever since. He and Luka Doncic co-piloted the franchise to an unexpected Finals appearance in 2024. Then, after Dallas traded away Doncic, they were banking on Irving and Davis becoming a formidable duo. 

Unfortunately, Irving tore his ACL just one month after they traded away Doncic. And the Mavs have been in disarray since then. They fired GM Nico Harrison and then traded away Davis, the player they got for Doncic, for two first-round picks and a bunch of other mid-tier players. 

Needless to say, getting Irving back next season is crucial for Kidd. “For him to be healthy next year, if we’re talking about offense, hopefully that puts us in a better seat,” he said.

Irving should bring a ton of value back to the Mavericks once he’s healthy. The question will be whether he still looks the same after suffering a serious knee injury in his 30s. 

If he does look the same, the Mavericks should be a team to look out for next season. At the end of the day, if we had to make a bet, we’d say that Irving will come back next season looking somewhat similar to how he did before.

He’s one of the all-time greats, and no injury is ever going to affect his wizardry with a ball in his hands. There’s a reason why Kidd is pumped for Irving to return. It’s because he knows that he’s going to be great once he comes back.