The Dallas Mavericks were left without guard Kyrie Irving on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings. His absence was evident as the Mavs struggled, and the Kings picked up their first win of the 2026-27 season.
Irving’s absence was due to left knee injury management. The 34-year-old is progressing toward a full-time role after sitting out all of 2025-26 while recovering from a torn ACL.
In Dallas’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Irving was not seen on the injury report. He will be available for the Mavericks.
Dereck Lively II (foot), Max Christie (hip), Sergio de Larrea (knee), and Tarik Biberovic (heel) are listed as out. Santi Aldama (knee) is questionable, and Caleb Martin (thumb) will be available for the Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving Drops 35 Points in Impressive Win Over Rockets
In Kyrie Irving’s most recent outing, the star guard put together his most impressive performance since returning from the left ACL tear.
Across 35 minutes, Irving led all scorers with 35 points in the Mavericks’ win over the Houston Rockets. Irving added nine assists and four rebounds in the game. Dallas has been the only team to defeat the Rockets so far this season.
Irving will look to keep up this momentum in a matchup against another Western Conference contender: the San Antonio Spurs.
This season, Kyrie Irving is averaging 21.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 52.7/39.0/100.0 shooting splits. His production has shown no signs of the torn left ACL he suffered in early 2025.
Mavericks Shut Down Trade Rumors Involving Kyrie Irving
Some of the most interesting headlines this season come from trade rumors. As speculation rises, Kyrie Irving has become a top name in reports.
The Dallas Mavericks have seemingly shut down trade calls involving Irving, says Marc Stein of the Stein Line.
“The more I see the team, the more I’m around the team, the more I think it’s going to be awfully hard to trade him,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective podcast, addressing the trade speculation. “Not that there won’t be a big market, there will be, but if they’ve got a chance to compete for a play-in, play-off spot. I just think it’s going to be really tough to move Kyrie.”
Although the age gap between the Mavericks’ two superstars is large. Kyrie Irving is 34, and Cooper Flagg is just 19; the two have led Dallas to a 4-2 start to the season.
Things are clicking between Irving and Flagg. Irving’s experience playing alongside some of the NBA’s biggest names and Flagg’s ability to do the job at all cylinders have led to wins. Playoff contention is very realistic for Dallas if the roster stays healthy.
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving Gets Injury Update After Absence vs. Kings