Kyrie Irving's New Contract Has Mavs Fans Excited for Future amid Cooper Flagg Rumors

As expected, Kyrie Irving declined his $43 million player option for the 2025-26 season, instead reportedly opting to sign a three-year, $119 million extension on Tuesday with a player option in the final year of the deal, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

With Cooper Flagg universally expected to join the Mavericks on Wednesday night as the top overall pick, Dallas is one step closer to the star trio of Anthony Davis, Irving and Flagg.

And that, as you might expect, had Mavs' fans feeling pretty excited after news of Irving's extension dropped:

Keeping Irving was undoubtedly Dallas' top priority this offseason, and keeping him on an extension that kept the team under the second apron was the best possible outcome. In that regard, Tuesday's news is a huge win for the team.

Obviously, the team's future outlook received an enormous boost when it won the draft lottery and the opportunity to draft Flagg. For an organization that shockingly gave away Luka Dončić, it felt like the universe offering a reprieve.

Because Flagg is so versatile and dynamic, he'll provide a short-term benefit as a role player, while Davis and Irving will lead the way once the latter returns from his ACL recovery. That means a healthy Mavericks' team has a real chance to make noise in the Western Conference in the short term, and has the face of the franchise secure for the long term.

Obviously, the health of Davis and Irving—two players who have proven to be injury prone throughout their careers—could hamper those short-term aspirations. But it's hard to begrudge any Dallas fans, many of whom were heartbroken after the Dončić trade, for the excitement they may be feeling this week.