After the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic in February 2025, it became clear that the franchise was pivoting to a new era. Thankfully for the organization and its fans, they struck gold in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery by winning the number one overall pick.
Of course, it was an easy decision to select Cooper Flagg out of Duke University. He entered college with considerable hype, and he made sure to prove all the praise correct. Flagg has also met the hype before the NBA Draft by having a strong rookie season, even winning the Rookie of the Year award.
Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving are set to be the core pieces for the Mavericks moving forward
Flagg has cemented himself as one of the league’s most promising players. He is a tremendous defensive talent because he can guard almost every position at a high level. At the same time, his ceiling as an offensive player is sky-high because he can create for himself off the dribble, but he has other physical traits that make him unguardable.
With the combination of pure talent and impressive physical strengths, Flagg has proven to be the Mavericks‘ cornerstone moving forward. However, they also want to assert that Irving is still part of the team’s plans. Even at 34, Irving is still a fantastic talent who thrives as a proven second option.
MORE: Kyrie Irving appreciates Cooper Flagg’s strengths that remind him of LeBron James
Irving has been with the Mavericks since 2023, and he was a crucial part of their run to the 2024 NBA Finals. He was a superb second option to Doncic, and now, he will be the co-star to another young superstar. It will be brand new, but it seems Kyrie is embracing Flagg.
Team president Masai Ujiri seems to be a big fan of the duo, so he has no plans to split them up. Even though other teams are questioning this partnership because they are 15 years apart in age, the organization believes in the duo.
For the 2026-27 season, the Mavericks have become a dark horse in the Western Conference. Most of the attention is on the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, but it seems teams like the Mavericks will want to make some noise with Flagg as their cornerstone.
