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At 34, Kyrie Irving is not old by any measure, but having entered the NBA at 19, his perspective on the league carries weight. His recent comments are not the grumblings of a disgruntled veteran, even if they might sound that way at first.
Two days before the Dallas Mavericks open their regular season in Houston on Wednesday, Irving spoke with the media. When asked whether he could extend his career another five years, similar to how LeBron James and Kevin Durant have played well into their late 30s, his short answer was no. The long answer revealed a deeper disillusionment.
“You have social media and gambling, which is running rampant, and it’s not the same NBA that I fell in love with as a kid, and I’m very much aware of that,” Irving said Monday at the team’s headquarters after practice. “And I don’t say that as a negative thing. It’s just when I came in, we were not doing tipping and gambling meetings. Mental health was this foreign subject. The game has changed; it’s become less human. It’s more robotic.”
Irving continued, questioning whether he truly loves that aspect of the game for his remaining years. He noted that the next generation is making money younger and addictions are running rampant, and he doesn’t see himself playing in the NBA at 42 or 43.
There is a lot to unpack in that answer, and while his time with the Mavericks may be short for entirely different reasons, his remaining years in the league don’t mirror LeBron’s extended timeline.
Irving’s Future with the Mavericks
When the Mavericks tip off against the Rockets on Wednesday night in Houston, it will mark Irving’s first regular-season game since March 3, 2025, when he suffered a torn left ACL. At the time of the injury, he was playing as well as he ever has in a career that will eventually land him in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.
This will also be the first regular-season game he plays alongside Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. The front office is eager to see this pairing in action for an extended period before making any further major roster decisions.
The team has not made the playoffs since reaching the 2024 NBA Finals, and since then, it has fallen into a cavern of irrelevance in a way few sports franchises ever have in such a short period. The Mavericks are expected to have a losing record for the third straight year, with a projected season win total around 36.
The shock and disgust of the Luka Doncic trade has mostly faded, and the goal of returning to the NBA Finals has been replaced by baby steps. “We want to play meaningful games late in the season, and whatever that means will be determined by health and how much we improve,” Mavericks first-year coach Dusty May said Monday. “To be playing the most meaningful games late in the season is our goal.”
If the Mavericks are not on a path to hit that goal, Irving’s status will become the priority. Irving has a player-option on his contract for the 2027-28 season and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2028. If the team is not winning enough around the tandem of Flagg and Irving, the Mavericks will have no choice but to consider trade options.
Whatever Irving did to his reputation over the years from his time in Cleveland, Boston, and Brooklyn has been repaired because of his time with the Mavericks. When healthy, he has played exceptionally well, and off the floor, he has been a good guy and zero distraction. A healthy Irving would be an asset to a contending team. The Mavericks will have to decide if Irving is better off with their rebuilding team.
Irving’s View of the Future NBA
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was the first of the major sports bosses in North America to explore, lobby for, and ultimately embrace gambling. He acknowledged the legalization of sports gambling was a revenue source that was too great to ignore. Between that and the allowance of college players making money, it has permanently altered the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, IndyCar, and the rest.
Now throw in the reliance on analytics to dictate strategy, and much of the flow and spontaneity in a game has been replaced by data-driven movement. This is the evolution of the game and the league that Irving doesn’t like, but he also knows it’s all here. The gambling animals are out of the zoo, and putting the meerkats, lions, and back in their cages is not going to happen. Gambling is part of the major sports matrix now. The data dudes have created their place and value in every sport, and percentages direct possessions, matchups, and everything else.
Irving calls his love of basketball an eternal flame, but his feelings about the NBA have changed. Because it’s not the same league he fell in love with.
Originally reported by star_telegram.