Kyrie Irving Rumors: Mavs 'Extremely Happy' with 'Leader' Ahead of Contract Decision

It looks like 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 following the 2024-25 season, but Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported on the Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective podcast that the guard is "extremely happy" in Dallas and the team views him as a "leader of the locker room."

"They are going to put a big number on the table for him," MacMahon said. "He has been extremely happy in Dallas, they have been really happy with him. He is the leader of this locker room, that is unquestioned, and right now he is playing as well as he ever has."

Irving does have a $43.9 million player option for 2025-26, but his current play indicates he can earn 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 apron space and $11.9 million in second apron space, per Spotrac. For Irving to get a raise, the team may have to get rid of some depth pieces and dip into that second apron.

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