In the NBA, timing is everything. For Kyrie Irving, it’s the ticking clock of rehab. For the Dallas Mavericks, it’s the countdown to a roster decision that could leave $8 million of dead money hanging over their books. And for fans, it’s the uneasy wait to see whether the franchise can balance patience with urgency in a season already stacked with storylines.

Five months removed from ACL surgery, Irving has made it clear he’s itching for a return. The Mavericks originally circled January 2026 as his comeback window. But the guard himself? He’s hinting at something earlier. “I was in the gym, doing a little bit more,” Irving shared during a Twitch stream. “I won’t tell you exactly what I was doing because it’s all about incremental growth, but I can share with y’all it was some good days in the gym… healing up great. This date today, on the 26th; this will be five months post-surgery.”

Unusually transparent for a player known to keep his rehab under wraps, Irving has repeatedly stressed his desire to return “150,000% better.” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd even suggested over the summer, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back early. You know how Kyrie is—he’s one of the hardest workers, and when he’s committed to getting back, he’s going to give himself every chance to do it.”

For Dallas, that accelerated timeline complicates things. They’ve built their early-season roster around waiting for him, trading for D’Angelo Russell, drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, and extending Daniel Gafford. But an early Kyrie return means chemistry must come faster, roles shift sooner, and the margin for error shrinks. And then comes the Olivier-Maxence Prosper situation.

The Mavericks are exploring ways to create a roster spot for Dante Exum, with Prosper’s contract in the crosshairs. As Trevor Lane put it: “What’s happening there in Dallas? Well, you’ve got Dante Exum, who the Mavs were excited about bringing back into the fold for this coming season. Gives them more depth of the guard position, but the problem is right now they don’t have a roster spot for him. And the clock is ticking because the deadline to use the wave and stretch provision is coming up. According to Jake Fischer, it’s coming up on Friday here.”

The burden lies in Prosper’s $3 million salary for this season and a $5.2 million team option for next year. Waiving and stretching would spread that $3 million over three years, costing Dallas about $1 million annually in dead money. Not catastrophic, but far from ideal. Lane compared it to Miami’s challenge with Haywood Highsmith, noting: “Dallas only has two tradable second-round picks. So because of that, they may wind up just using the wave and stretch provision rather than surrender a valuable second-round pick just to get somebody off of their roster.”

So naturally, Kyrie Irving’s recovery isn’t just about timelines. It’s about ripple effects. Last season, Dallas went 11–21 without him, exposing their lack of offensive rhythm and late-game closers. The Mavericks could survive games, but they couldn’t win margins. They became a middle-of-the-pack squad in a brutal Western Conference. And you know it’s all genuine facts when you realise that Kyrie Irving does not even have a PR team. Numbers tell the rest.

Dallas banking on Kyrie?

Following Luka Doncic’s departure in the Anthony Davis trade, Irving averaged 27.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists when Davis sat. He was efficient and the clear engine of Dallas’s offense. That level of output was a statement that Dallas can ride his shoulders when needed. Now, with Cooper Flagg needing reps, Russell searching for redemption, and Davis aiming to stay healthy, Irving’s return becomes the means.

An early Kyrie Irving comeback could give Dallas months to gel before the trade deadline, transforming them from placeholders into genuine contenders. Meanwhile, the Prosper dilemma lingers. Lane explained the mechanics: “If they do decide to go the wave and stretch scenario here with Omax, you would wind up he’s got $3 million on the books for this season, $5.2 million for next season, but that’s a team option, so that would just go away. Essentially, what you would be doing is you’d be taking $3 million and you’d be stretching it out over three seasons…

Be about a million bucks per year in dead money sitting on the Mavs’ books. Not the end of the world. And if that is ultimately the way that they open up a roster spot for Dante Exum, that may be preferable to actually giving up a second-round pick just to get somebody off of their roster.” This is the dilemma Dallas faces: build for tomorrow or gamble on today.

A healthy Kyrie alongside Davis and Flagg can tilt the West. But every dollar, every pick, and every roster spot carries weight. Prosper’s future, Exum’s signing, and Irving’s health are suddenly entangled in one complex equation. Lane summed it up best.

“So, some interesting maneuvering still going on around the NBA. Terry Roier, could his time in Miami now be coming to an end? Uh, what’s going to happen here with the Dallas Mavericks? They’ve got to do something one way or another in order to open up a roster spot for Dante Exum.” For the Mavericks, the clock is ticking. Kyrie’s hints, Prosper’s contract, and Exum’s roster spot are the pieces of the same board. And how Dallas plays them could define not just this season, but the franchise’s entire trajectory.