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Irving (rest) won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Rockets.
While Irving will miss the preseason opener in China, the veteran point guard is expected to play at some point during the exhibition schedule, with his next chance coming during Sunday's rematch against the Rockets. When Irving is cleared to suit up, he'll likely face major restrictions after a 19-month recovery from an ACL tear.
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Mavericks' Kyrie Irving: Will play in preseason
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Irving is fully cleared after a 19-month recovery from an ACL tear, and he will suit up for the Mavericks during the preseason, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.
It sounds like Irving will be good to go for Friday's exhibition against the Rockets in China, although he'll likely have his minutes heavily monitored during the preseason. Irving offers first-round upside, but he's had trouble staying on the court throughout his career.
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Mavericks' Kyrie Irving: Close to 100 percent
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Mavericks president Masai Ujiri offered an encouraging update on Irving's recovery from his knee injury Friday, saying the veteran guard is "right there" as he works toward returning to game action, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, but he has been participating in pickup games during his ramp-up process. The 34-year-old last played in 2024-25, when he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 36.1 minutes across 50 regular-season appearances. Ujiri's comments provide another positive sign that Irving is closing in on his return, though Dallas has yet to announce a definitive timeline.
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Mavericks' Kyrie Irving: Ramping up toward return
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Irving (knee) has been playing in pickup games this offseason in an effort to ramp up toward his return to the court in 2026-27, Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports.
Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in March 2025 and did not play in the 2025-26 campaign. The veteran point guard has had plenty of time to recover and will enter training camp having played in pickup games this summer. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 34-year-old enter the season on a minutes restriction, though it appears likely he'll be ready to play by Opening Night. Irving appeared in 50 regular-season games in 2024-25 before suffering the knee injury, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 combined steals-plus-blocks in 36.1 minutes per contest.
Irving (knee) should be fully healthy by the end of the offseason, per Christian Clark of The New York Times.
Irving is close to a full recovery from ACL surgery, so he should be a full participant by the time training camp comes around in the fall. The star guard hasn't yet gotten the chance to take the floor since the Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg last year, so it'll be interesting to see how the two mesh once they're sharing the backcourt duties.
