The Dallas Mavericks are a mess—take their form or bottomless injury list, for instance—and by the looks of it, wouldn’t it be too aspirational to think of that changing anytime soon? The city’s frustrations are palpable, and at the time like this, the only person who is most compassionate with the fans has played his last game of this season, or worse, many think this will be his final Mavs game. Former Principal Owner Mark Cuban’s revelation makes it somewhat suspect.

It will be a long list of grievances that surrounded the name Kyrie Irving when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. His first impressions on Mark Cuban was no different either. After his season-ending injury in his first year with the Celtics, he was accused of promoting conspiracy theories. A slew of conspiracies followed during his stint with the Nets too when he earned notoriety for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine at a time when New York City had made it mandatory. Cuban even went as far as calling him “the team killer” at one point. Come 2023, talks of trading him took momentum, and it was then Cuban started talking about him. But the script had flipped by then.

“I love Kai… Kai is the dude you become friends with in college that when you’re sitting around in the dorm room, he’s gonna get into a deep conversation,” he had said back then. The Mavs “let Kyrie be Kyrie” and the fruits of that landed them in the NBA finals with Luka Doncic by his side. It now seems like a distant memory with Luka in Lakers jersey and Kyrie out with a season-ending injury. But can this be his end with the Mavs altogether? The nine-time All-Star has a $44 million player option for 2025-26 and was set for a max extension in the offseason. But now his ACL injury has cast doubts over the nature of the deal to be provided. Anything less than the $313 million contract might upset his camp, leading to a potential exit. And Cuban was shocked when he was told about such rumors at the latest episode of Your Mom’s House Podcast.

Host Robert Smith cracked the discussion when he said, “Current rumor mill is that they’re gonna look talking about waving Kyrie.” Cuban’s first reaction was “what?” Smith said, “yeah man you don’t watch the rumor mill?” This time Cuban made his stand clear. “I don’t watch the rumor mill… That makes no sense whatsoever,” the former Shark Tank investor said. Smith immediately chimed in, “Well, neither the first one.” Cuban caught that it was about Luka and came up with his own jab: “You’re right i mean that didn’t make sense and I love Kyrie too. Maybe they’re trying to get rid of the people I like.”

He further added how a new owner looks to get rid of the old employees to bring in fresh faces. “Somebody comes in, takes over a new company, and gets rid of the old guys,” he said.Cuban sold the majority of the franchise back in 2023 and, since then, Patrick Dumont has been the key decision-maker. Dumont recently explained the franchise’s decision to trade Doncic in the guise of professionalism and fitness concerns. That would’ve never happened on Cuban’s watch, as he once famously said, “If I had to choose between my wife & keeping Luka on the Mavs, catch me at my lawyer’s office prepping for a divorce.”

Thankfully for Mark, there was not a need for a divorce as Doncic was sent packing for LA. Now, his proclamation of love might even end in Kyrie’s exit as he suggested about the Mavs getting rid of the old guys. Smith, suggested Cuban should start talking about how awful Kyrie is to play reverse psychology in the front office. Whether that’d work is up for debate, but sources close to the situation indicate Mavs’ true intentions around Kyrie.

Dallas source confirms Mavs’ plans on Kyrie Irving’s future

Nico Harrison made it clear after the Anthony Davis acquisition that the defense wins titles. Where does Kyrie fit into that philosophy? Only Harrison could provide an explanation just like he did about why Doncic wasn’t the future. But according to a Dallas source, Harrison is planning to keep Kyrie around.

“The goal is to keep Kyrie in Dallas as long as they can. Before the injury, he was definitely on track for a max extension. I think that’s still the case,” Mike Curtis of Dallas Morning News confirmed on Fan Duel TV’s Run It Back. “I don’t think you just wanna have a guy for a year and risk him leaving in free agency the year after. I think they want to lock in as soon as they can,” the reporter added.

Giving Kyrie Irving the 5-year max deal means keeping him till 38. With the latest ACL injury, his return to peak physical condition at 34 remains a doubt too. But the Mavs are betting on the short window they have with Kyrie and Davis. The current season can already be considered an unsalvageable situation, adding more desperation to this win-or-bust situation. Probably enough to give Kyrie exactly what he would want.