Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks will have an intriguing offseason as the star guard has a contract decision to make.

Irving boasts a player option for the 2025-26 season. If he accepts, he will earn up to $44 million in the final year of his contract. If he declines, he will become an unrestricted free agent as he can look outside of the Mavericks or sign a new contract with the franchise. NBA insider Marc Stein went into further detail on how things may look for the two parties this summer.

“To be clear: Absolutely nothing has changed in terms of the long-held anticipation that Irving will be anywhere but Dallas next season. Yet it does remain unclear at this juncture whether Irving will simply activate the option and then try to hammer out an extension with the Mavericks that can be signed starting July 7 … or surrender the option to become an unrestricted free agent,” Stein wrote.

“Passing on the option, of course, would suggest that the sides are headed for a new deal in free agency, with Dallas anticipated for some time to try to re-sign the 33-year-old to a new three-year pact in the general vicinity of his original three-year, $120 million deal with the Mavericks.”

What lies ahead for Kyrie Irving, Mavericks

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Kyrie Irving has complete control over what he wants to do for his short-term future. He can stay content with his current contract or seek a different one with the Mavericks or another NBA squad.

In the meantime, Irving recovers from a torn ACL as he would return in the second half of the 2025-26 season. At age 33, he will do what he must to maximize his financial security while having a clear role with his team.

Irving's 2024-25 campaign ended after 50 games. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He shot 47.3% from the field, including 40.1% from beyond the arc.

The Mavericks will hope for Irving to make a full recovery. When he returns, the team will look to maximize their veteran star core of him and Anthony Davis. Dallas fell short of the playoffs after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.