120 million in three years! Irving renews his contract, and the Mavericks Galaxy Battleship quietly takes off

One knee injury and one salary cut, Dallas's championship puzzle was quietly completed in a game of winning in a dangerous situation.

In the locker room of American Airlines Center in Dallas, there was a note posted on Kyrie Irving's closet: "Everything will come in time." This is the motto he left on offseason social media and now a silent declaration of this rescheduled Galaxy battleship.

When other teams in the league were still cautious in watching the free market, the Mavericks boss had already completed a big bet, locking in Irving, who was seriously injured in his left knee for three years, recruiting Clay Thompson to join, trade Anthony Davis, and then selecting "Pippen's successor" Flag with the No. 1 pick. Dallas' ambitions are as hot as Texas' sun this summer.

Irving's strategic choices for injury and salary reduction renewal

In the first quarter of the Mavericks' home game against the Kings on March 4 this year, Irving fell to the ground with his left knee when he broke through. Diagnostic results are like cold water toppings - torn anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee, and reimbursed seasonally. This is the third major operation of the 33-year-old star's left knee, after he had knee surgery in 2015 and 2018 respectively. The average recovery period given by the league's medical experts is 12-18 months. Referring to cases such as Cousins ​​and Klay Thompson, players' athletic ability generally declined by 30% after their comeback. Under the cloud of injuries, the Mavericks' contract renewal strategy changed 180 degrees. The dilemma facing Irving is that if the 44 million player option is implemented next season, it can be renewed for 4 years and 240 million; if the contract is broken, it will face uncertainty in the free market. In the end, he chose a compromise path, gave up the option of 43 million players, and reduced his salary and re-signed 119 million for three years.

This operation directly saved the team $28 million in salary and luxury taxes, and successfully avoided the league's second-rich line restrictions. Salary experts believe that this 2+1 player-taking option structure not only covers Irving's recovery period (anticipated return in January 2026), but also retains flexible operation space for the team.

Mavericks' luxury lineup upgrade

The Mavericks' management's operations are thunderous: 12 million yuan off the bottom point guard Tangiero Russell, who once averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 assists in the Lakers, will serve as the main controller while Irving is recuperating. What's even more shocking is that the Warriors' sharpshooter Klay Thompson was dug up from the Warriors. Although his defensive footing declined at the age of 34, he still averaged 21.9 points per game, three-point shooting percentage of 38.1%, and averaged 3.8 three-pointers per game (4th in the league).

The most important signing is to get Lakers giant Anthony Davis through a trade. The inside behemoth played 72 games last season (a new high in the past four years), averaging 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 71.4%. He formed a double tower with rookie center Levley, who averaged 2.5 blocks per game last season (first rookie), and had a top 10 in the league in terms of efficiency protection. In addition, the Mavericks selected 19-year-old striker Flag with the No. 1 pick, and the template was designated as "Scotty Pippen". He averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was 34.5%2. At this point, the Mavericks formed a fantasy starter of "Irving + Clay + Flag + Dark Eyebrow + Leifly", and there were also powerful players such as Russell, Garford, and PJ Washington sitting on the bench.

Challenges and Opportunities in the New Season

The real challenge facing the Mavericks is that Irving will not return as early as January 2026. Russell and Clay will support the backcourt during this period, and whether No. 1 pick Flagg can quickly adapt to the NBA intensity will directly affect the team's forward offense and defense quality. According to the data model analysis, the offensive and defensive efficiency of the new lineup is expected to achieve a qualitative leap. The Mavericks averaged 117.6 points per game last season (6th in the league). The shooting ability of the new lineup was upgraded again - Irving, Clay and Russell averaged 10.3 three-pointers per game, plus Flag's 34.5% three-point shooting percentage and Davis' 72% pick-and-roll finishing percentage. The defensive end of the game, Davis, Lefly and Gafford formed the "no-fly zone", with the three players averaging 6.1 blocks per game; Flag averaged 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game during his college years, which could cover the defense of the 1-4 position. The Mavericks' defensive efficiency is expected to jump from 18th to the top five in the league. The salary pressure is also huge. The total salary of the team is US$120 million, of which 54.12 million, Irving 39.67 million, and about 17 million Clay constitute the main salary framework. With such investment, the team's only goal is the championship. In the Western Conference, the Mavericks' paper strength has firmly ranked among the top three, and their main competitors are the Rockets led by Alexander's Thunder and Durant. The locker room whiteboard in Dallas reads the new season goal: 82 regular season games and 16 playoff wins. When asked whether the contract was premium when Irving was 37 years old, the Mavericks boss smiled and pointed at the training ground. Flag was completing a gliding buckle. Davis was guiding Levley to defend at a low post, and Clay's three-pointer drew a perfect arc.

In the NBA capital game, the Mavericks bet on all the chips. Irving on the yacht deck put away his phone, and the sea breeze was salty. Doncic's jokes are still in his ears, and the new chapter of Dallas has quietly set sail in the storm.