What a wretched season for the Mavs. That NBA Finals appearance seems like generations ago. Rather, this season makes their fans feel like they’ve aged generations. It all started with the Luka Doncic trade and had fans wanting the world to end when Kyrie Irving went limping off the court for the foreseeable future. Reports state that the future Hall of Famer is to be out for a lot of next season too. But after Mavs HC Jason Kidd’s admission, we could see Unc back on the court in double quick time.

March 3rd, 2025. This was when the Mavs fanbase accepted their season to be in the bin. Irving suffered an ACL injury in the third quarter in a game against the Kings, where he needed the staff to support him off the court. Back in April, there were reports that the earliest we could see him is in January 2026. That’s a long time to go without one of their biggest presences on the pitch. But Kidd eyes a swift return for their leader, which he credits to Kyrie’s “positive” mindset.

“Don’t want to put timeline on Kai but he’s been positive. He documents everything. Talking to him. He’s in a good frame of mind won’t be surprised if he returns early,” said Kidd on Kai’s timeline.

Dallas missed out on 24.7/4.8/4.6 for the last 22 battles, with 2 of them being the wretched play-ins. His Uncle status was hitting prime time in the deathgame. But that injury caused a horrific run of form that ended with the D-Town losing 6 of the last 10. They did avenge him on the anniversary, beating the Kings 120-106 in the first round of the play-ins. After their dominant showing the last season, to go back to 19th out of the 30 is a huge step backward.

But the only way is forward. Kyrie Irving might be back soon, so they have to give him something to fight for when he rejoins mid-season. And just to aid that, their 1.8% chance of winning the No.1 pick in the draft paid off. Nico Harrison could have a Cooper Flagg situation on his hands. What are their plans for their future?

Kidd looks to Cooper Flagg and free agency to build before Kyrie Irving’s return

First off, Flagg’s addition (if it happens) would be monumental. The kid’s sent shockwaves across the league, strolling about with a GOAT-like swagger. And Kidd can’t wait to prep him until the return of Irving. “Well, I think it’s, you know, we understand Kai is out from the injury. And so I think you can look at it as a positive that we know he won’t be back until January, February, March,” said Kidd on the DLLS Sports podcast.

But that’s just a small part of the bigger puzzle that you can’t leave to Cooper Flagg alone. Newer and better players are needed. “And so to be able to build the roster: Maybe looking for a player that can fill that void until he can get back. Also a player that can play with with Kai. Also a player that might not play as much when Kai comes back.. So being able to look at free agency that way,” said Kidd on the pod. He wants to take the Mavericks on the top of the pile again. Just this time, with a better mentality.

“But again- next man up mentality.” With their limited cap space of just $12.5 in salary, they can’t go for the stars. Seasoned role-players like Dennis Schroeder will fit the bill well. And Kidd’s no greenie. His own veteran mind will find ways to make Schroeder-like replacements work.

Kidd’s projected return of Kyrie Irving stands anywhere between January, February, or March of 2026. So he’s not really leaving much wiggle room for interpretation. But the day he comes back, J-Kidd promises to keep the squad to continue in a flying fashion.