DALLAS — At the end of the Dallas Mavericks’ Monday morning shootaround, the team’s four rookies sang “Happy Birthday” to Dallas’ Hall of Fame coach and point guard who’s a lock to make it to Springfield, Mass., one day.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd turned 53. Kyrie Irving turned 34.
“There was an attempt at ‘Happy Birthday,’” Kidd said.
“I don’t think they liked it very much,” rookie guard Ryan Nembhard said.
Kidd has known Irving since his days as a New Jersey Net in the early 2000s. Irving was a star prospect then who was enamored of Kidd’s ballhandling and passing wizardry. In their time together in Dallas, Kidd and Irving have experienced high highs — including an NBA Finals appearance in 2024 — and low lows, such as in March 2025, when Irving tore the ACL in his left knee weeks after the Mavericks made the Luka Dončić trade.
In February, the Mavericks announced that Irving would remain out for the rest of this season. By the time he’s able to return to the court next season, Irving will have gone more than 19 months between playing games.
Kidd has zero doubt that once Irving is fully healed, he will be a boon to the Mavericks offense — especially in late-game situations.
“The offensive end of the ball, it will help in all categories,” Kidd said. “Shooting. Scoring. And the biggest (thing) is, you have a closer. A born closer.”
The Mavericks have been involved in 40 “clutch” games this season (any game in which the score is within 5 points in the final five minutes), tied for most in the NBA. They have a 15-25 record in those contests. They are averaging 103.6 points per 100 possessions in those “clutch” minutes, the sixth-worst mark of any team.
“I’m not going to say he’s going to win all 40 games for you, but it puts you in a better seat,” Kidd said. “Having that option will definitely help us if we are going to talk about next season.”
In Irving’s absence, rookie forward Cooper Flagg has been Dallas’ go-to option late in games. Flagg has delivered often, scoring 85 “clutch” points on 45 percent shooting. Yet, Irving has been sorely missed in many of those situations, such as Saturday, when the Mavericks couldn’t close out the LA Clippers in regulation and suffered their 11th straight home defeat in overtime.
“For us to not have (Kyrie) all year, that’s impossible to cover up, even by committee,” Kidd said. “Just because of the things he can do at the highest level. For him to be healthy next year, and you talk about offense, hopefully that puts us in a better seat.”
The Mavericks are trying to land a cornerstone player in this year’s draft. They have no choice but to try to be as competitive as possible next season. They owe their first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets as a result of their trade for P.J. Washington in 2024.
The Mavericks need Irving’s offensive production to have any hope of advancing to the playoffs. He will be entering his 15th NBA season, and Kidd will be going into his sixth season as the Mavericks coach.
“I’ve known (Kyrie) for some time,” Kidd said. “For us to share this day is pretty cool. To see his growth on and off the floor, it’s special. It means a lot to me. I told him we missed him a lot this year on the floor.”