The 2024-25 season was one of the most brutal and toughest in Dallas Mavericks history. The painful season was capped off with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament less than a year after Luka Doncic led them to the NBA Finals.
Now, the beginning of a new era awaits the Mavericks with Cooper Flagg on board. Flagg was drafted first overall by the Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft, and the selection brought tons of excitement, as seen when Mavericks legend Mark Aguirre was seen crying at the draft party at the American Airlines Center. Aguirre was happy to finally be welcomed back by the Mavericks, but was also ecstatic for Flagg as he became one of Dallas' new superstars.
Flagg being part of the Mavericks with Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Klay Thompson shows just how deep this team can be. However, Flagg is the talk of Dallas and the NBA, and a new executive poll showed just how fortunate the Mavericks are to have Flagg in the mix.
Cooper Flagg is already being picked to win Rookie of the Year
In a recent poll that was between anonymous NBA executives, the hype around Flagg was shown. Seventeen of the 20 executives who were in the poll have already projected that Flagg will win the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year.
Before the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, the Mavericks had a 1.8 percent chance of winning the lottery, also known as the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. Then, magic happened with the Mavericks winning the lottery to get Flagg. Winning the lottery showed how not only fortunate the Mavericks were to get Flagg, but how they robbed the NBA as they became contenders once again.
Had the Mavericks not had injuries destroy the roster last season, the team would've had a better chance to make the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Injuries to Davis and Irving impacted the team, particularly Irving, who tore his ACL in March and was done for the remainder of the season.
Even with injuries biting the team, the Mavericks still were able to sneak into the Play-In Tournament as the Western Conference's 10th seed. The Mavericks showed promise for the 2025-26 season when they defeated the Sacramento Kings in the first play-in game.
Outside of Irving, the fact that the Mavericks will be healthy when the season opener arrives with Flagg on the team is big. Davis will be a main guy to not only be relied on by the Mavericks, but also to mentor a young Flagg, as they'll be the two stars of the team to begin the season.
Along with the roster going to be healthy in October, Flagg has already shown terrific progress in Summer League last month in Las Vegas. He dominated on both ends of the floor, and he showed the world why the Mavericks should be feared next season.
Even before Summer League play began, the Mavericks had to hold Flagg back in a good way on July Fourth, with him wanting to put work in at the gym, but the coaching staff sent him home. Flagg's dedication to getting better is remarkable, and he never settles for second place.
Flagg will continue to bring in more hype to the NBA with the Mavericks. Now, the recent anonymous poll, along with Flagg's Summer League play, showed how the Mavericks robbed the NBA. They weren't supposed to be in that position to begin with, and now they have a great chance to have a bounce-back season. With a talented roster loaded with depth, it got a whole lot better with Flagg now on board for the future.
