DALLAS — Kyrie Irving is back with the Dallas Mavericks.
The 31-year-old All-Star has verbally agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed Friday. The deal ended Irving’s unrestricted free agency less than an hour into the negotiating period and restored his spot as co-star to Luka Doncic.
NBA rules prohibit teams and players from officially signing and announcing new contracts until the free agency moratorium lifts July 6.
The Mavericks could’ve offered Irving a new contract up to five years and $272 million because they held his Bird Rights from the Nets trade.
Owner Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison had been cautious in public settings to discuss whether they viewed Irving as worthy of a maximum contract. Perhaps they still felt spooked from their overconfidence about retaining Jalen Brunson — and then losing him for no compensation to the New York Knicks — last offseason.
Instead, they landed Irving on a sub-max contract ($42-million average annual value) and aligned his timeline with Doncic’s current deal while still aiming to cater to Irving’s desire for a long-term commitment.
After Dallas’ disappointing two months following his blockbuster trade arrival, Irving’s decision to remain with the franchise after being rumored to entertain meetings with other teams should quell the significant speculation about his future.
With Irving under contract through the 2026 offseason, the Mavericks expect Doncic and Irving to form one of the league’s best scoring tandems and lead their push toward the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 2011.
Doncic’s current rookie max extension runs through at least the 2026 offseason, with a player option for the 2026-27 season.
Irving’s history made clear his intent to push for maximum length and value.
His turbulent three-plus seasons in Brooklyn ended with a trade request in February after the Nets reportedly wouldn’t offer Irving a long-term extension without stipulations for game availability, the same condition that led them to allow him to seek a sign-and-trade last June.
Irving has played only 163 of 308 regular-season games over the last four years because of:
— Injuries and unexplained personal sabbaticals.
— His anti-COVID-19 vaccine stance against New York City’s local mandates.
— An eight-game suspension last November for sharing a film filled with anti-semitism and conspiracy theories and refusing to apologize in subsequent interviews.
Irving appeared to have little external leverage in free-agency negotiations because his previous suitors — specifically the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns — prioritized other signings and trades.
Despite Irving’s interest in a meeting, the star-studded Suns could not mathematically sign him as a free agent or orchestrate a sign-and-trade with Dallas because of their significant payroll limitations after trading for Bradley Beal this offseason.
The Mavericks, however, were under major internal pressure after their big-swing trade for an All-Star-caliber teammate to complement Doncic preceded their first slide out of postseason contention since 2019.
To complete the Irving trade, they parted with an unprotected 2029 first-round pick — which teams consider particularly valuable because it will convey after Doncic’s contract lapses — two second-round picks and two starters crucial to the locker room’s chemistry (Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie).
Dallas couldn’t allow Irving to be a two-month, playoff-less rental at that expense.
Now comes the real test.
The Mavericks posted a 5-11 record in games Irving and Doncic played together last season, but they attributed their season-ending skid and decision to tank the last two games to injuries, unfamiliarity and suboptimal supporting cast.
Options around Doncic and Irving have already started to shift.
During the June 22 draft, the Mavericks acquired Duke freshman center Dereck Lively II at No. 12 by trading down two spots to dump reserve forward Davis Bertans’ bloated contract to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Mavericks then traded back into the first round to acquire No. 24 overall pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper from the Sacramento Kings, who dumped reserve center Richaun Holmes’ contract into the trade exception Dallas opened from the Bertans deal.
The two first-round rookies underscored Dallas’ priority to upgrade their defense across all positions and their size and talent in the frontcourt.
Upcoming personnel moves will likely reflect the same.
The Mavericks’ draft-night maneuvers reduced their payroll to open the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (a $12.4 million slot the team can offer up to four years).
They also hold a biannual exception ($4.5 million) and hold the Bird Rights or Early Bird Rights to four of their six other free agents (Dwight Powell, Christian Wood, Frank Ntilikina and Theo Pinson) if they want them to return.
