{
  "id": 5314573,
  "title": "Dallas Mavericks Legend Can’t Wait to See the Kyrie Irving-Cooper Flagg Tandem This Upcoming Season",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/dallas-mavericks-legend-cant-wait-to-see-the-kyrie-irving-cooper",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T11:25:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dallas-mavericks-legend-t-wait-112539590.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki expressed his excitement about the potential return of Kyrie Irving to the team, after the 34-year-old guard missed the entire 2025-26 season due to a torn ACL. Nowitzki is confident Irving will be ready and eager to play after spending a year observing Dallas forward Cooper Flagg. The NBA champion believes Irving's presence will help address the Mavericks' Achilles' heel from the previous season - the point guard position. Irving is entering his contract year with the Mavericks, where he'll earn around $39.5 million and has the option to exercise a $42.4 million player option in the summer of 2027.",
  "summary": "The Dallas Mavericks are expected to have Kyrie Irving back after he missed the entire 2025-26 campaign because of a torn ACL, and Dirk Nowitzki is among those excited to see the 34-year-old guard again soon. In a recent interview with WFAA’s Joe Trahan, Nowitzki strongly believes Irving’s return will address the Dallas Mavericks’ Achilles [...]",
  "key_points": [
    "Dirk Nowitzki excited about Kyrie Irving's potential return",
    "Irving missed 2025-26 season due to ACL tear",
    "Irving's presence addresses Mavericks' point guard issues"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}