Kyrie Irving proved plenty of doubters wrong last season, proving he can mesh well with teammate Luka Doncic and helping power the Mavericks to a surprise NBA Finals appearance. His offseason isn't going quite as smoothly.
One month after Dallas' season came to an end, the 32-year-old guard is dealing with a hand injury, interrupting his preparations for a 2024-25 season that will begin with legitimate championship hopes.
The Mavericks have been active in free agency, adding Klay Thompson along with role players Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall. Thompson is looking for a late-career resurgence in Dallas, but the Mavericks' title hopes still run through a healthy Doncic and Irving.
Here's what you need to know about Irving's injury and whether it will affect his regular season status.
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Kyrie Irving injury update
Irving underwent surgery to repair a broken left hand he suffered while working out earlier in July, the Mavericks announced Tuesday.
Dallas didn't offer a timetable for Irving's return, but he's expected to have plenty of time to recover. The NBA regular season doesn't start for about three months, with training camp getting underway in about two months. The Mavericks are optimistic Irving can return in time for training camp, ESPN's Tim McMahon reported .
Recent history indicates the timeline for a return from a broken hand can vary. Clippers guard Russell Westbrook missed less than a month after undergoing surgery to repair a broken hand last season, while then-Warriors guard Chris Paul missed about seven weeks after similar surgery.
Even if Irving's complete recovery takes as much as two months, the injury still doesn't figure to affect his regular season status in any way.
Managing the health of Irving and Doncic while grappling with a loaded Western Conference will be key for Jason Kidd next season. Doncic, 25, was beaten down by nagging injuries by the time the NBA Finals rolled around, while Irving is set to turn 33 in March.
Fortunately for Dallas, a broken hand isn't an injury likely to linger like a soft tissue injury can. Irving should be ready to go well before the start of the season, even if it means he won't be able to do much on the court until September.
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Why isn't Kyrie Irving on Team USA?
Irving's offseason might have played out much differently if he had been selected to the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team. While some of the nation's best talent received an invitation to Paris, Irving was left on the sidelines despite being listed as a finalist.
Irving indicated in April that his exclusion was at least partly his decision, telling reporters that "the deliberation process was a tough one" and explaining that he believes his focus should be on winning a championship at this point in his career.
"I wish my brothers well. I just didn't fit into this team," Irving added.
Tyrese Haliburton and Jrue Holiday join Stephen Curry and Devin Booker in the Team USA backcourt, with Derrick White recently added in place of Kawhi Leonard. Haliburton and Holiday might be more comfortable playing complementary roles compared to Irving.
While Irving didn't blame Nike for his exclusion, recent comments by Celtics guard Jaylen Brown about Nike's alleged influence on the roster revived speculation that the brand might be behind the decision.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight said Irving "stepped over the line" in 2022, when the All-Star shared an anti-semitic documentary on social media and initially defended doing so. Nike ended its relationship with Irving as a result of the controversy.
Regardless, Irving seems content focusing on the upcoming NBA season rather than heading to Paris. He will now have to do so from the sideline for at least a few weeks.
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