With the Dallas Mavericks’ postseason hopes fading amid a struggling roster, all eyes remain on Kyrie Irving. His absence has only deepened the uncertainty surrounding the team’s direction despite a big-ticket draft win. But during Dallas’ January 28 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a brief courtside exchange offered a rare and emotional glimpse into Irving’s mindset as conversation around his recovery is taking shape.

Mavs beat writer Mike Curtis, an eyewitness at the game, reported a fan yelled to Irving during a timeout, “Kyrie, need you back out there,” to which Irving reportedly responded with a heavy dose of reality. “I wish I could be, brother.”

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon spoke about this raw exchange with Michael Wright, highlighting the complex situation to speed up Kyrie’s return to court. “What I can tell you about the Kyrie situation right now is he is ramping up to return to practice… probably after the All-Star break,” MacMahon stated.

According to reports, Kyrie is working hard with trainers, mostly doing off-the-dribble drills, dummy defenses, simulations, and more to get back in the groove. However, physical clearance is only half the battle. MacMahon referenced Jason Kidd’s recent comments to confirm that Kyrie hasn’t been cleared to practice with the team yet.

Until Irving can get some workouts with Cooper Flagg & Co., “There’s not certainty, there’s a lot of TBD. It is possible that Kyrie Irving might not play again in game action until next season.”

Apart from getting into physical shape, there is also the mental hurdle that Kidd referenced recently.

Kyrie Irving could change Mavericks’ future

Last week, Jason Kidd said that the point guard’s return is, “for him mentally and physically being able to play at the highest level in his mind, no one else’s.” Kyrie Irving’s response to the fan might be the biggest clue that he’s eager to get back on the court. But ACL recovery has a way of wearing you out mentally.

For the Mavericks, they still need to see if Kyrie can lead plays for the current rotation that has largely played without him, not re-injure himself, and also determine the likely minutes restriction.

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Kyrie is known, if not infamous, as a player who dislikes minutes restrictions. Before the famous Luka Doncic trade and his injury, Irving led the league in minutes, averaging 38.7 minutes at his peak usage period in early 2025. When fans blamed his minutes for his injury, he directly shut that claim down.

“If you ask 95% of the league if they rather be playing 15 minutes or 35 minutes a night, I guarantee you 95% of them would say 35 minutes. I led the league in minutes, so the f— what…” Kyrie said on a stream last year.

Take, for instance, Jalen Green’s return from a hamstring injury he aggravated three times after missing 33 games. He gets on minutes restriction, does well, and nearly aggravates it in the second game back, and has to be on injury management again. In contrast, Jamal Murray sat out an entire season and made a full return to the court after tearing his ACL. Irving would rather take Murray’s all-or-nothing route.

Dallas is looking at a hot trade market, but Irving’s not top of the trade list either. A delay in his return could alter the Mavs’ plans since firing Nico Harrison. Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson are the biggest trade possibilities before the deadline.

However, headshot caller, Patrick Dumont (and reportedly also former majority owner, Mark Cuban) want to see a Kyrie, AD, and Cooper Flagg team, as per MacMahon. It may shift their plans to a strategic evaluation beyond the trade deadline.

It will not just be Kyrie Irving’s health that will be a factor then. The team’s record will dictate the final call. If the Mavericks fall entirely out of the Play-In race, the “I wish I could” sentiment may remain just that—a wish—until the 2026-27 season opener.