Dallas Mavericks

Kyrie Irving

G

Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in March 2025 and did not play in the 2025-26 campaign. The veteran point guard has had plenty of time to recover and will enter training camp having played in pickup games this summer. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 34-year-old enter the season on a minutes restriction, though it appears likely he'll be ready to play by Opening Night. Irving appeared in 50 regular-season games in 2024-25 before suffering the knee injury, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 combined steals-plus-blocks in 36.1 minutes per contest.

Santi Aldama

F

Aldama's 2025-26 campaign was cut short due to a right knee injury, which resulted in an arthroscopic procedure in mid-March. The Mavericks are able to start practice prior to Sept. 29 because they have preseason games abroad, and it sounds like Aldama could have a good chance of featuring in those.

Dereck Lively II

C

Lively is walking and lifting weights, though he's not quite ready to enter the next phase of his rehab. The 22-year-old big man is recovering from right foot surgery, which cut his season short in December of last yar, and it remains uncertain if he'll be a full participant in training camp this fall. The Mavericks did take Morez Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to improve its frontcourt, but Lively remains the most likely candidate to open next season as Dallas' starting center.