Why can't the Mavericks sign a replacement for Kyrie Irving? Mavericks' first apron restriction, explained

On Monday, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in Dallas' 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. When Irving went down, fans immediately could sense that something was wrong as the future Hall of Famer grimaced in pain and clutched his knee. Irving made his way to the line to knock down a pair of free throws before receiving help to the locker room.

In the wake of Irving being diagnosed with a torn ACL, which will sideline him for the remainder of the season, Mavs fans speculated about who the team would sign to fill his roster spot.

Even though the team has a roster spot available, because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Dallas can't sign a replacement player. As ESPN's Bobby Marks wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, because Dallas is over the first apron, they can't sign a player via free agency.

Irving's deal included a $1 million incentive that would be paid if he participated in 50 games and Dallas won 50 games, thus the team is past the first barrier. Although the bonus is out of reach, the $1 million will be counted against the team.

Former teammates send well-wishes to Kyrie Irving after devastating season-ending injury

When Kyrie Irving went down early during Monday's Mavericks-Kings game, the NBA community collectively held its breath in anticipation. While the scenes of Irving needing help to make his way to the line, and then back to the locker room, didn't look good, the NBA community held out hope that the injury wasn't severe.

After the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd spoke with members of the press, saying that he was hoping Irving's injury wasn't serious.

At the same time, former teammates of Irving were sending the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer well-wishes online. LeBron James took to X, writing:

"Prayers sent up to Ky."

Luka Doncic also shared a pair of teary-eyed emojis on his Instagram story in response to the clip of Irving going down with an injury, before then sharing a heartfelt message on Tuesday morning once it was confirmed Irving tore his ACL.

"You will come back stronger mi hermano!" he wrote.

Luka Doncic (@lukadoncic) - Instagram

Former Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love, who won a ring with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, also sent some words of support via social media.

"Man…devastating for Ky. Love you my brother and speedy recovery. You mean so much to this game!!! @KyrieIrving," he wrote.

With Kyrie Irving's season over, his focus will now shift to the 2025-26 season, where he'll look to return to action.