3 years, $120 million! Overcoming a torn ligament! The duo shakes up the entire NBA

He's coming back.

Insider Shams:Irving has fully recovered, and the Mavericks owner is eager to see him play alongside Flagg next season.

Last March, Irving suffered a left knee ACL tear, which sidelined him for the entire 25-26 season, but he still secured a 3-year, $118 million extension from the Mavericks in the summer. He is now 34 years old.

As one of the most entertaining guards in the NBA today, Irving may find it difficult to return to his peak after his comeback, but he should still be more than capable of being the best helper for Flagg. In the 24-25 season, Irving played 50 regular-season games for the Mavericks, averaging 36.1 minutes, 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals, with shooting percentages of 47.3%, 40.1%, and 91.6%.

U.S. media Legion Hoops shared a photo of Irving and Flagg, captioning it: "This duo will shock the league next season."

Actually, there were many trade rumors about Irving in the offseason, linking him to teams like the Timberwolves and Pistons. However, as mentioned, the Mavericks still value him highly and refused to trade him away.

It is particularly worth mentioning that,Some even say that if the Cavaliers could replace Harden with Irving, then LeBron would be more likely to return to Cleveland...In the end, everyone knows the result: LeBron chose to take his talents to Philadelphia, joining the 76ers, a team with a stronger roster and better championship prospects.

By the way, the Mavericks now have three No. 1 picks: Irving (2011), Flagg (2025), and Risacher (2024), who was recently traded from the Hawks.

However, this new addition has a tendency to become a "bust." His stats over the past two seasons are as follows:

Regular season: averaged 23.6 minutes, 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, with shooting percentages of 45.7%, 36%, and 68.6%;

Playoffs: averaged 7.7 minutes, 3.7 points, 3 rebounds, with shooting percentages of 35.7% and 20%.