Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont and the Dallas front office reportedly want to see what their team looks like when Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are all on the court together. Or, at least that was their public spin as they tried to create leverage for a Davis trade.
We may never see that. While there was an expectation of Irving returning at some point after the All-Star Break, the Mavericks are considering pushing back Irving’s return from a torn ACL because of the team’s struggles, reports ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (in a story about how great Flagg has been).
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He has yet to be cleared to practice, and while Irving has made it clear that he hopes to play this season, sources anticipate that, considering the Mavs’ place in the standings, there will be discussions about postponing his comeback until next season.
The Mavericks are eight games below .500 and sit 12th in the West (1.5 games back of the Clippers for the No. 10 seed and final play-in spot, and 6.5 games back of the No. 8 seed Warriors and hosting a play-in game), plus they remain without Davis due to a hand injury. Also a factor, this upcoming draft is the last year the Mavs control their own first-round pick until 2031 (although they do have the Lakers’ 2029 unprotected first-rounder).
There is a smart roster-building strategy of focusing on the upcoming, deep NBA Draft (Dallas would currently enter the lottery with the eighth-best odds, much better than a year ago when they still got the No. 1 pick). The Mavericks could trade Davis in the offseason to acquire another pick or young player closer to Flagg’s timeline, and come back next season with a healthy Irving at the point, Flagg on the wing, a finally healthy Dereck Lively II at the five, plus whoever the Mavericks draft this June.
That said, Irving will want to play and he does qualify as a star under the league’s Player Participation Policy. Nothing is set in stone, and where Dallas is in the postseason picture in six weeks could well play into any decision. But don’t be surprised if the Mavericks and Irving decide he needs this full season to recover.
