Cooper Flagg spent his rookie season carrying a load that would test just about anybody. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 starts, and in the process became the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
The production was real. The results around him were not. Dallas stumbled to a 26-56 record and finished 27th in offensive rating at 110.3, which made one thing clear: Flagg was doing a ton of the heavy lifting without a true co-star beside him.
That part of the equation is starting to change. Kyrie Irving is back healthy after tearing his ACL in March 2025 and missing the entire last season, and Flagg says the two are already working toward what comes next.
When asked about his offseason priorities, Flagg said he has been focusing on ball-handling, shot creation and shooting. Then he got to the detail Mavericks fans have been waiting for.
"I got to get in the gym with Kyrie this offseason," Flagg told the NBA. "He's back healthy.
Kyrie is obviously one of the greats, so just to be able to share the floor with him and learn from him on the fly and be able to go out there and compete is going to be a lot of fun. I'm excited."
"I'm excited to get back to playing games and improve a lot."
Irving, meanwhile, has already been part of the Mavericks’ offseason planning. He met with head coach Dusty May, president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz, a sign that Dallas is moving into the new season with him firmly in the picture.
Before the ACL injury, Irving was still producing at a high level, putting up 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 50 games in 2024-25.
Now the fit starts to make sense in a way it couldn’t last year. Irving gives Dallas the kind of late-game shot creation and pressure release that can take some of the burden off Flagg, while Flagg gets a chance to learn alongside one of the game’s most polished guards.
For Dallas, that pairing has been the central storyline since the 2025 draft. It’s no longer just a plan on paper. It’s about to be on the floor.
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