Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (L) agreed to a $119 million contract extension. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
June 25 (UPI) — All-Star guard Kyrie Irving plans to decline a $43 million player option and sign a three-year, $119 million contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks, he confirmed on X.
Irving posted the Arabic word “Maktub,” which means “it is written,” in a repost of a report about the deal Tuesday night on the social media platform.
The nine-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection signed a three-year, $126 million deal — including the $43 million option in its third year — with the Mavericks in 2023. His new deal features a player option in 2027-28.
Irving, 33, averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game over 50 starts last season for the Mavericks before being lost for the year because of an ACL tear in his left knee. He is expected to sit out early on in the 2025-26 campaign, but eventually return to the floor.
Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game over 58 starts in 2023-24. He averaged 27 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game over 20 appearances for the Mavericks in 2022-23 after joining the franchise in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving, who won a championship alongside LeBron James in 2015-16 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He joined the Celtics in a 2017 trade from the Cavaliers. Irving averaged a career-high 27.4 points for the Nets in 2019-20 and 2021-22, but was limited to just 20 and 29 games, respectively, those two seasons.
The Mavericks, who own the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday’s 2025 NBA Draft, are expected to select Duke’s Cooper Flagg to play alongside Irving. They previously agreed to sign center Daniel Gafford to a three-year, $60 million extension.
Flagg is expected to join a starting lineup that includes Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively Jr. and Irving, once he recovers from his knee injury.
