The Dallas Mavericks' fortunes have been dramatically altered by the arrival of Cooper Flagg, a young player showing superstar potential. His recent performance, including a career-high 49 points, hints at a bright future and potential championship contention, drawing comparisons to Luka Doncic and marking a significant shift in the franchise's trajectory.
The selection of Flagg altered Dallas’ fortunes, providing a desperately needed change given the turbulent months following the Doncic trade. Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg receives a hug from Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic after an NBA basketball game at American Airlines Center, Saturday, Jan.
24, 2026, in Dallas.Davis, one of the greatest two-way players in NBA history, walked into his new home to find there would always be comparisons to Doncic, a 26-year-old generational superstar in the prime of his career,general manager Nico Harrison’s visionThe trade will forever be remembered not only as a watershed moment in NBA history, but also because of how it changed the Mavericks’ trajectory and put another generational player at their door and next in line for the keys.Flagg is only three months into his career, but he’s already showing glimpses of superstar potential. At the rate of his development, thes against the Charlotte Hornets and Houston Rockets are glimpses of his potential, the Mavericks should be contenders again sooner, rather than later.Thursday by exploding for a career-high 49 points with 10 rebounds, the most points by a teenager in NBA history.January 30, 2026 Flagg’s sensational performance, albeit in a two-point loss, represented a proverbial passing of the torch from Aguirre, the franchise’s first All-Star, who saw his No. 24 jersey rise to the rafters of American Airlines Center. “He’s not about numbers. He’s about wins and losses,” Kidd said. “That’s who he is. For a young man who thinks that way, he’s going to be a champion sooner than later. He continues to keep working.” It remains to be seen whether Flagg is able to lead the Mavericks back to the NBA Finals, where Doncic has the same goal with the Lakers, but there will always be comparisons between the two, given the circumstances that led to the Mavericks being in a position to draft him in the first place. “It’s crazy how things work out and the series of events that led to me being here, but I’m just blessed for everything and every moment that’s led up to this in my life,” Flagg said recently.What’s more impressive is the similarities in their on-court production through the first 44 games of their rookie seasons. Flagg averages 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals. Doncic averaged 20 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists with 1.2 steals in his first 44 games with the Mavericks during the 2018-19 season. The Mavericks had a short window to contend under the previous vision, which made drafting Flagg the obvious choice last summer.Doncic, the offensive magician from Slovenia, captured the hearts of fans who fell in love with his game nearly as much as they cherished a 7-foot German who played an NBA record 21 seasons with the Mavericks.In another world, Mavericks fans hoped Doncic would spend his career in Dallas. A career that would be celebrated with a statue, adjacent to the bronze copy of Dirk Nowitzki’s signature shot.It’s why the franchise welcomed back Aguirre with a long overdue honor. It’s why Nowitzki has a street named after him in front of the statue outside of AAC. It’s why the environment at that arena resembles that of a playoff gameThe Mavericks are hoping they strike lightning a third time with Flagg, who has the potential to be the next man up in that lineage of superstars. On the one-year anniversary of the trade, both franchises are in vastly different positions than they were just 365 days ago.“Next year it’ll be two years, and after that it’ll be three,” Kidd said. “We’ll just keep counting. But Luka’s moved on, and we’ve moved on. ... We wish him the best, but that’s just the business of basketball. Gotta move forward.”Numbers suggest Mavericks’ criticisms of how Cooper Flagg is officiated might have meritMavericks’ Mark Cuban backs Jason Kidd’s strong criticism of NBA officialsMike is the Mavericks Beat Writer for The Dallas Morning News. Before his arrival at the DMN, he spent two seasons covering the Detroit Pistons at The Detroit News. Mike earned his bachelor's degree in Communications from Tennessee State University and received his master's degree in Media and Communication from Middle Tennessee State University.Bad Bunny, Olivia Dean, Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar win at the 2026 Grammy Awards
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