Kyrie Irving Takes Major Step With Cooper Flagg & Other Mavs Teammates

Kyrie Irving has not played an NBA game since tearing his left ACL in March 2025, but after losing the entire 2025-26 season to recovery, he is finally starting to look like a Maverick again. Irving was spotted leading Cooper Flagg and several Dallas teammates through a workout in Santa Monica, California, but the biggest surprise was not Kyrie’s return to the floor. It was Dwight Powell showing up alongside them despite no longer being under contract with Dallas.

Powell has spent nearly his entire NBA career with the Mavericks, but his contract expired after the 2025-26 season, making him an unrestricted free agent. Now, a return to Dallas appears possible, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting that the Mavericks are expected to invite the long-time veteran to training camp.

"Dwight Powell was with the Mavericks this week at the Kyrie Irving-led minicamp in Los Angeles, and the expectation is that Powell will receive a formal training camp invite even though Dallas currently has a full roster with 15 standard NBA contracts," Stein reported on X.

That expected invitation comes with some caution from Dallas, especially considering where Powell now stands in the rotation.

The 35-year-old averaged just 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes across 63 games last season, a far smaller role than he once held with the franchise.

That is also why Powell is expected to receive a non-guaranteed training camp deal with Exhibit 9 language, which would limit the Mavericks’ financial exposure if he suffers an injury during camp or the preseason. Even then, making the final roster will not be easy. Dallas already has 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, while second-year center Moussa Cisse is on a partially guaranteed deal that becomes fully guaranteed on October 1.

After more than a decade in Dallas, Powell is now fighting simply to stay on the roster. His leadership and professionalism still carry weight, but a reduced role and a crowded depth chart leave his future far from guaranteed.

While Powell is trying to earn another season in Dallas, Kyrie Irving’s return could have a much bigger impact on one of the Mavericks’ most important young players.

Kyrie Irving Could Be the Key to Cooper Flagg’s Year 2 Leap

Cooper Flagg did not ease into the NBA. He took over. The Mavericks rookie walked away with Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals, even while Dallas spent much of the season searching for an identity. Now the question is no longer whether Flagg belongs. It is how much of the Mavericks’ future he can carry in Year 2.

The bigger intrigue in Dallas is Kyrie Irving’s return. After tearing hiThe bigger intrigue in Dallas is what Irving’s return could mean for Flagg. But for all the excitement around Cooper Flagg’s rise, one major question still has no answer: what does this Mavericks team actually look like when Flagg and Kyrie finally share the floor?

That uncertainty does not worry NBA insider Kevin O’Connor. In fact, he believes Irving could accelerate Flagg’s development this season, pointing to Kyrie’s history of thriving alongside oversized playmakers like LeBron James and Luka Doncic. If that experience translates, Flagg could be the next star to benefit from playing beside him.

"You pair (Cooper Flagg) last year with Brandon Williams or Ryan Nembhard, you go from that group to Kyrie Irving, who has excelled with LeBron James, with Luka Doncic- these big jumbo creator forwards- because of Kyrie's ability to thrive with the ball and without the ball," O'Connor said on his show. "First-time All-Star this year, I think that's the minimum."

That makes Irving’s return about more than simply adding another scorer to Dallas’ lineup. If O’Connor is right, Kyrie could give Flagg the kind of backcourt partner he did not have as a rookie, allowing the 19-year-old to create without carrying every possession himself. The two have yet to play an NBA minute together, but after Flagg’s Rookie of the Year campaign, expectations are already moving well beyond another developmental season.