Cooper Flagg hasn’t gotten into an NBA game with Kyrie Irving yet, but he already has a read on what it’s like to share the floor with him in a workout setting.
Flagg said he recently spent time working out with Irving “in the gym'' and came away eager for more.
“I got to get in the gym with Kyrie this offseason,” Flagg said. “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.”
That workout matters for Dallas because Irving is no longer on the sideline path he was on after tearing the ACL in his left knee on March 3 of 2025. He had surgery later that month, and the Mavericks eventually ruled him out for the entire 2025-26 season on Feb.
- Now, the picture has changed: Irving has fully recovered and has been part of the Mavericks’ offseason planning.
Before the injury, Irving was doing what Irving does. In 50 games during the 2024-25 season, he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.1% from 3-point range.
His overall résumé still lands him in rare company. Across 779 regular-season games in 14 seasons, Irving has averaged 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
He’s made nine All-Star teams, earned three All-NBA selections and won a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. At 34, he’s still one of the league’s top point guards.
For Flagg, the connection runs deeper than a summer workout. The two share a Duke link, and they also share a striking draft path: Irving went No. 1 overall to Cleveland in 2011, while Flagg went No. 1 overall to Dallas in 2025. Both were Rookie of the Year winners too, with Irving taking the award in 2011-12 and Flagg earning it this past spring.
Flagg’s first season came with Irving unavailable, which made him the focal point of the offense. He posted 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 starts, along with 316 assists, 161 turnovers and a 26.9% usage rate.
Now the Mavericks are trying to reset after a rough year. Dallas finished 26-56 last season and ranked 27th out of 30 teams in offensive rating at 110.3.
The roster around Flagg and Irving has changed, too. Dallas has added first-round pick Morez Johnson, along with Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and Tarik Biberović.
In Other News...
Klay Thompson Report Adds Another Frustrating Twist To Mavericks Misfire
Klay Thompsons short stay in Dallas is already looking like one of the more disappointing detours in the Mavericks recent roster churn. The veteran guard signed a three-year deal with the club in 2024, but his fit never had much time to breathe after he played only 21 games alongside Luka Doncic before the team remade its core and sent Doncic away in the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis.
Now Thompson has been bought out and is expected to land with the Miami Heat in free agency, another turn that underlines how far the Mavericks drifted from the plan that brought him in. Davis arrival was supposed to reset the roster, but injuries quickly complicated that idea and left Dallas with another expensive reminder that this pairing never really got the chance to become what it was sold as. [Read more 🡒]
Klay Thompsons Next Role Just Reshaped Miamis Free Agency Plans
Klay Thompsons next stop has already begun to ripple through Miamis summer plans, with the Heat building their pursuit around shooting and spacing as they try to fit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. That approach made Thompson the cleaner roster fit than DeMar DeRozan, and it helped shape the market in a way Dallas fans know all too well from the buyout that set this chain reaction in motion.
DeRozan reportedly landed with Denver instead of Miami in part because the Heat were expected to start Thompson at shooting guard, leaving a different path open for their backcourt. Thompson is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Heat after finalizing his buyout agreement with the Mavericks, a move that gives Miami the floor-stretching piece it wanted while also clarifying why its free-agency board moved the way it did. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Still Have One Big Shooting Question After Klay Thompson Move
The Mavericks spent part of their offseason trying to restock the perimeter around a roster that still needs reliable outside shooting, and the latest moves show how tricky that project has become. Klay Thompson had been one of the few Dallas players providing steady volume from deep, and even with newcomers such as Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberovic and Marcus Sasser in the mix, the group is still short on proven, high-level spacing.
What makes the picture tougher is that each of those additions comes with a different kind of question mark, whether it is efficiency, experience or simply how much they can be trusted to carry a larger shooting load. Dallas can point to the added depth and hope internal growth helps, but the roster still has one looming issue: there is not much margin for error if the outside shot does not come along quickly. [Read more 🡒]