Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has made a significant decision regarding his NBA future, months after tearing his ACL.
The NBA All-Star guard suffered a season-ending ACL injury in March.
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Irving was set to be a free agent next month if he declined his $43 million player option.
On Tuesday night, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the 33-year-old Irving declined his $43 million player option and intends to sign a three-year, $119 million contract with the Mavericks.
The decision would keep him out of free agency and in Dallas.
The report added that Irving’s new deal includes a player in the 2027-28 season.
Irving’s new contract will pay him $40 million per season.
The 13-year NBA veteran told ESPN that his decision to remain with the Mavs was due to “a commitment level from both sides, wanting to build a legacy in Dallas, and believing in the franchise’s ability to win a championship when he returns healthy from a torn ACL.”
When Irving returns, he’ll play alongside All-Star Anthony Davis and the No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg under the leadership of coach Jason Kidd.
Before sustaining the ACL injury in his left knee, Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
ESPN reported that Irving won’t play at the start of the 2025-26 season but is hopeful to return as early as January.
His new deal will allow the Mavericks to open up the $5.7 million midlevel exception to look for a guard in free agency to take his place, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
ESPN reported that some guard targets for Dallas include Dennis Schroder, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and Malcolm Brogdon.
Irving’s deal is the second one the Mavs have made this week.
They signed center Daniel Gafford to a three-year, $54 million contract extension.
The deal can be worth up to nearly $60 million.
Dallas will hope to improve in the upcoming season after posting just a 39-43 record in 2024-25.
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It was a rocky 24-25 campaign as they were criticized for the stunning blockbuster trade of five-time All-NBA point guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
The trade came just months after Doncic led them to the NBA Finals.
But the Mavericks caught a massive break by winning the lottery with a 1.8 percent chance and grabbing the 18-year-old Flagg, who has big-time expectations.
He has been a household name thanks to his efforts as a freshman at Duke, where he was a consensus All-American and won multiple national player of the year honors.
