Kyrie Irving's $118M Mavs Contract Reportedly Includes Trade Kicker, Player Option

Details have emerged regarding Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving's three-year, $118 million contract.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Irving's deal will include a 15 percent trade kicker, a player option and advance payments.

Irving previously declined his $43 million player option with the Mavericks for the 2025-26 season to agree to the new three-year deal, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

The news on Irving's intention to sign the contract broke on June 24. The Mavs officially announced the signing on July 6, the start of the new league year.

Regarding the details, a trade kicker, as defined by Basketball-Reference, is "a percentage of a player's salary that is awarded as a bonus in the event of a trade."

The maximum amount a player can get on a trade kicker is 15 percent. That's obviously a big win for Irving if he's dealt, although he seems far more likely than not to stay through the next two years on his contract at least, with the bigger question being whether he exercises or declines his 2027-28 player option.

Receiving half of his base salary upfront by Oct. 1 is certainly a big win as well. Here's a year-by-year breakdown of his contract, per Spotrac.

The 33-year-old Irving is entering his 15th NBA season. He averaged 24.7 points on 47.3 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last year. Unfortunately, his season ended prematurely on March 3 with a torn ACL in his left knee. He had successful surgery later that month.

So he'll miss time in 2025-26, but the question is how long.

When asked on a recent live stream if he'd be back for the playoffs, Irving said he was prioritizing his long-term health over a quick return (h/t Swish Access).

“Don’t hold your breath on that… I just want to be back 150,000 percent better. I’m taking my time right now to really get healthy… I just want to be back out there.”