Jalen Brunson, who joined the Mavericks alongside Luka Doncic in 2018, is the undisputed leader of the New York Knicks and the reason why they’re in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

An ACL tear on average can take 10-12 months to heal after surgery, though it's already been reported that the Mavericks are optimistic Irving could return by January of next season, which would be 10 months from when he sustained the injury. Mavs coach Jason Kidd echoed that report Monday while appearing on the DLLS Mavericks podcast, too.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has repeatedly stated that he had nothing to do with the franchise's decision to trade Luka Doncic, but that doesn't mean he doesn't sympathize with Mavericks fans. Unlike his boss, Nico Harrison, Kidd understood how much Doncic meant to the city.

The Dallas Mavericks' trading Luka Doncic never made much sense. However, after landing the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, expecting to take Cooper Flagg out of Duke, it makes things a bit easier to swallow.