Kyrie Irving Rumors: Mavs ‘Extremely Happy’ With ‘Leader’ Ahead Of Contract Decision | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

It appears the Dallas Mavericks are set on retaining Kyrie Irving’s services in the future.

The 32-year-old is eligible to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2024-25 season, but Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported on Brian Windhorst and Hoop Collective podcast that the guard is “extremely happy” in Dallas and the team sees him as a “locker room leader.”

“They’re going to put a big number on the table for him,” MacMahon said. “He’s been extremely happy in Dallas, they’ve been really happy with him. He’s the leader of this locker room, there’s no question about that, and right now he’s playing as well as he’s ever done.”

Irving has a player option of $43.9 million for 2025-2026, but his current play indicates he can make much more than that on the open market.

Irving is averaging 24.3 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 14 games for Dallas in 2024-25 and has helped the team start the season 8-7. This comes after the franchise reached the NBA Finals in 2023-24, and Dallas should remain a contender in the Western Conference this season and beyond.

The Mavericks currently have $526,220 in first-place play and $11.9 million in second-place play, as of Spotrac. In order for Irving to get a raise, the team may have to get rid of some depth pieces and dip into the second apron.

But for a struggling team like the Mavericks, this will simply be the price to pay to keep the core of Irving, Luka Dončić and Klay Thompson intact.