Mavs Notes: Flagg, Veterans, Irving, Approach
Cooper Flagg‘s start to his NBA career with the Mavericks has been an exercise in steady progress and managing expectations, writes Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing so far for the 6’9″ rookie forward, who joined a team with aspirations of contending and has unexpectedly taken on the role of starting point guard. The No. 1 overall pick is shooting just 37.3% from the floor and 28.6% on three-pointers as he learns a new role.
Flagg, for his part, is not satisfied with his performance so far, but neither is he losing confidence.
“It’s a tough league. It’s a transition,” Flagg said. “Honestly, I haven’t made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I would’ve wanted to, but I’m gonna just keep trusting the work. It’s nothing I think they should be worried about. I’m not worried about anything.”
The Mavericks share Flagg’s faith in his ability to figure things out.
“Cooper’s not the kind of player who gets rattled,” a Mavericks staffer said. “He wants to understand why something didn’t work, then figure out how to fix it. That’s rare for someone his age.”
We have more from around the Mavs:
- One way that the Mavs are helping to ease Flagg’s burden as he transitions to being the new face of the franchise is through their veteran stars, writes Tim MacMahon for ESPN. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis both have the perspective of being former No. 1 overall picks who entered the NBA with big expectations, and they’re using their experiences to help Flagg. “Being a No. 1 pick is still going to come with the pressure, still going to come with a lot of the inner thoughts that you want to impose on the team,” Irving said. “You want to let everybody know who you are, and you want to earn everybody’s respect. And that’s what it takes to be in this league. There’s no boys allowed. For me, it’s just making sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed or it’s not too much for him.” MacMahon describes Flagg as a 6’9″ shadow to Irving when the point guard goes through his post-practice routine, whether shooting sessions or one-on-one work.
- Head coach Jason Kidd is tantalized by the potential combination of Irving playing alongside Flagg and is hopeful that fans will get to see that duo sooner rather than later, Afseth writes. “[Irving] is going to be a perfect fit with Cooper Flagg, when you talk about his skill set of being able to dribble and score,” Kidd said. “He also creates space on the floor for Cooper, and vice versa. We just can’t wait to get Kai back, at some point. Hopefully it’s in the year of ’25 — not ’26.” Afseth notes that the optimistic timeline stands in clear contrast to the cautious approach Kidd and the Mavs have taken when previously discussing Irving’s rehabilitation schedule.
- Until Irving does return, Mavs fans shouldn’t expect a change in approach, despite the team’s early struggles to score, according to Christian Clark for The Athletic. Dallas’ offense went bone-dry in the fourth quarter against the Pistons in Mexico on Saturday, Clark writes, a trend largely indicative of the greater struggles the team has faced en route to a 2-4 start to the season. Entering Sunday, the Mavs were averaging 104.2 points per 100 possessions while every other team in the league was scoring at least 106, Clark notes. However, Kidd seems content to focus on the bigger picture rather than getting weighed down by the offense’s current struggles. “We are playing for something greater,” Kidd said about the ongoing Point Flagg experiment. “Just to have that experience early on is a blessing.”
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Gafford, Irving, Rockets, Morant
Tonight’s game in Mexico City is an important part of the NBA’s international outreach and a chance for the Mavericks to build their fan base in the neighboring nation, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). The Mavs’ contest against Detroit marks their eighth appearance in Mexico and the NBA’s 33rd overall since 1992.
“For fans outside of the U.S., the opportunity for them to enjoy a live experience of an NBA game is very limited,” said Raul Zarraga, vice president and managing director of NBA Mexico. “This is part of our commitment to provide this live experience to fans all around the world.”
Dwight Powell, the only player left on the roster from the Mavericks’ last trip to Mexico during the 2019/20 season, recalls the crowd being “extremely energetic.” Zarraga said Mexican fans as a group don’t have a strong rooting interest in any franchise, but they tend to like the three Texas teams as well as those with successful histories such as the Bulls, Lakers and Heat.
One of tonight’s top attractions will be No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg, who’s looking forward to playing in front of an international crowd.
“I’ve been to Cancun one time for a vacation, but other than that, I’ve never been to Mexico,” Flagg said. “I’m excited. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful. Detroit’s a really good team, so it should be a competitive, high-level game.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Daniel Gafford is in the Mavericks‘ starting lineup as he makes his season debut, but coach Jason Kidd said he’ll be restricted to about 15-18 minutes, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). D’Angelo Russell is also active after being listed as questionable with a left knee contusion.
- Asked about Kyrie Irving at tonight’s pregame press conference, Kidd hinted that his star guard could be back in action before the end of the year, Curtis tweets. “We just can’t wait to get Kai back, at some point,” Kidd said. “Hopefully it’s in the year of ’25, not ’26. We’ll see what happens, but I think those two (Irving/Flagg) will be a perfect match in the backcourt.”
- Rockets coach Ime Udoka is still working out his rotation and is trying to create more playing time for backup center Clint Capela, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Udoka added that there’s still no timetable for Dorian Finney-Smith, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but he and Jae’Sean Tate will get a chance to earn rotation roles when they’re fully healthy. Tate is currently restricted to 15 minutes per game.
- The Grizzlies have already reached a turning point in their season after today’s one-game suspension of Ja Morant, contends Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Cole states that Morant seemed “disengaged” during Friday’s loss to the Lakers, and he was upset after a post-game interaction with coach Tuomas Iisalo, who is known for being direct with players. Cole adds that the season could unravel quickly if Morant, Iisalo and Jaren Jackson Jr. don’t work together as leaders.
Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Davis, Washington, Lively
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg enters a unique situation with the Mavericks, who have two other former top picks on the roster in Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, plus a frontcourt with plenty of talent and depth. The 18-year-old forward says he’s going to use the versatility that helped him become an elite prospect, writes Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
“For myself, it’s just about being me — going through it, not changing for anybody, impacting the game in a lot of ways, and doing whatever I can to impact winning,” Flagg said at media day. “Coach (Jason) Kidd and I have talked about being versatile. We’ve got a bunch of guys who can do a lot of different things, so we want to use that to our advantage.”
Flagg, who won virtually every college player of the year award last season for Duke, is open about his expectations for 2025/26.
“I’d like to be Rookie of the Year,” Flagg said, per Afseth. “As a team, the goal is obviously to win a championship. But like I said earlier, if I stay true to myself and what got me here, the personal goals will work themselves out.”
Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson believes Flagg has all the right ingredients to fulfill his potential, Afseth notes.
“Cooper can be as good as he wants to be,” Thompson said. “He’s got all the tools — height, athleticism — but what I love most is that he’s receptive to information and he wants to work. When you combine that with his athleticism, he can be special.”
Here’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavs only had a 1.8% chance of winning the draft lottery and Davis admitted he wasn’t watching the unlikely occurrence in May. Still, he was thrilled with the outcome, according to Christian Clark of The Athletic. “He’s a hell of a talent,” Davis said of Flagg. “He can do everything on the floor. It was a great moment for us.”
- Davis says his goal for this season is the same as it was when he was shockingly traded to Dallas in the Luka Doncic blockbuster in February, as Afseth writes for Dallas Hoops Journal. “Same as last year at my press conference: my goal hasn’t changed. I want to bring a championship here,” Davis said. “We’ve got a good team. The key is health — staying healthy. I’m happy and excited to be here, and I want to win here.”
- The 10-time All-Star big man is listed at 268 pounds for training camp, 15 pounds heavier his listed weight last season. Davis says he isn’t concerned, explaining that’s not unusual for him to enter camp above his playing weight because he typically loses 10-12 pounds during the season and is feeling “great,” tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
- According to Clark, forward P.J. Washington made it clear he hopes to spend the rest of his career with his hometown team. Washington signed a four-year, $89MM extension last month. “It’s always been home for me,” Washington said. “I’m just blessed to be here. I’ve always wanted to be here. Hopefully, I end my career here.”
- Center Dereck Lively II was limited to just 36 games last season after playing 55 contests as a rookie. He’s determined to be available more often in year three following offseason ankle surgery, per Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “I want to stay healthy—that’s the biggest (goal),” he said. “From there, I want to keep growing as a defensive anchor. Be somebody my teammates trust to call things out, protect the rim, and cover for them.” Lively will be on a minutes restriction to start the season and he’s happy with the team’s plan. “Honestly, I just take whatever comes,” the 21-year-old said. “If it’s 24 minutes, 20 minutes, whatever the coaches need from me, I’ll give everything I have in that time. I’m just focused on playing the right way and building myself back up.”
Mavs Notes: Starters, Kyrie, Smith, Robinson-Earl, Coaches, Lively
The Mavericks made one very significant roster addition over the summer, drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg out of Duke. But the club’s starting five has yet to be determined heading into training camp, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
“This is competition,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re going to look at a lot of combinations.”
Kidd has indicated that everyone aside from All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is expected to fully participate in practice, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. For now, free agent signing D’Angelo Russell is expected to start in Irving’s stead.
There’s more out of Dallas:
- Irving continues to improve from the ACL tear he suffered last March. Kidd, however, offered a measured take on his recovery to date, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He is doing quite well, as we can see, but he’s not ahead of schedule, and so let’s not say that,” Kidd said. “That’s unfair to him and to the Mavs because it’s not true. Is he on schedule? It looks like it.” Mavs president of basketball operations Nico Harrison had suggested in July that the star guard was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab process.
- New Mavericks additions Dennis Smith Jr. and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl signed non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 agreements, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The agreements protect the team in the event that either player sustains an injury in training camp or the preseason and don’t count against the cap unless they carry over to the regular season.
- Kidd weighed in on Dallas losing assistant coaches Sean Sweeney, Jared Dudley, and Alex Jensen to other teams this summer, Curtis tweets. “The guys who left will be missed,” Kidd said. “Sweeney, Duds and Alex… It’s a compliment that we must be doing something right. Not wrong.”
- Third-year Mavericks center Dereck Lively II indicated during his media day session that he has grown this summer, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Lively, who was listed at 7’1″ last season, claims he is currently 7’2″ or 7’3″.
Mavericks Notes: Thompson, Irving, Dead Money
Appearing on the Showtime With Michael Cooper Lakers Podcast (YouTube link), Mavericks wing Klay Thompson said Kyrie Irving is the “toughest guy” he’s ever guarded and has “no weaknesses in his game,” as Ashish Mathur of DallasHoopsJournal.com relays.
“It’s nice to be his teammate,” Thompson said of Irving. “You know, Kyrie and I had so many battles during those years at Golden State. We saw Cleveland four straight years in the Finals, three of them being with Kai.
“And I’ll never forget, I know you always used to check the best offensive player, and some nights there’s just nothing you could do when you’re guarding a guy like Michael (Jordan) or Larry (Bird) or Isiah (Thomas). Same thing with Kyrie.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Irving, who tore the ACL in his left knee in early March, provided a minor injury update last week, saying he was “healing up great.” Overtime released a short video (Twitter link) on Sunday showing Irving practicing floaters and jump shots at the NBPA practice facility in New York (hat tip to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal). Afseth notes that the nine-time All-Star appeared to be “moving comfortably on the court.”
- After waiving and stretching 2023 first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper on Friday, Dallas will now carry a $3.2MM dead-money cap hit each of the next three years, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Only about $1MM of that total came from stretching Prosper’s contract; the other $2.2MM is owed to JaVale McGee, who was cut by the Mavericks a couple years ago.
- In case you missed it, multiple reporters have indicated that P.J. Washington is likely to sign an extension with Dallas now that he’s officially eligible to do so, though the exact terms remain unclear.
Mavs’ Kyrie Irving On ACL Recovery: ‘I’m Healing Up Great’
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who tore his left ACL in early March, provided a minor update on his recovery process during a live Twitch stream earlier this week, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays.
“I was in the gym doing a little bit more,” Irving said (Twitter video link via All Things Mavs). “I won’t tell you exactly what I was doing because it’s all about incremental growth, but I can share with y’all (that) it was some good days in the gym. I’m healing up great. To this date (August 26), this will be five months post-surgery.”
Irving, 33, had taken on increased ball-handling and play-making responsibilities in the wake of the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic trade last season and was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on .473/.401/.916 shooting through 50 outings when he went down with the season-ending injury.
Irving became eligible for free agency this offseason when he declined his $43MM option, but he didn’t seriously test the market, opting to sign a new three-year, $118.5MM deal to remain in Dallas.
Reporting back in April indicated that the Mavericks were optimistic about Irving’s chances of returning to the court sometime early in 2026, and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison suggested in July that the star guard is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab process.
However, Harrison has also made it clear that the team won’t rush Irving back to the court, and the nine-time All-Star has preached patience as well, cautioning in July that there’s no guarantee he’ll be 100% healthy before the end of the 2025/26 regular season.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t be back,” Irving said at the time. “It’s just — I don’t want to make any predictions on when I’m going to be back. I just want to be back 150,000% better.”
With Irving sidelined, the Mavs are expected to lean on guards D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, Dante Exum, and Jaden Hardy, while frontcourt players like Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg likely initiate the offense more frequently too.
Texas Notes: Irving, Mavericks’ Arena, Spurs’ Arena, Rockets
Appearing on the Mixed Signals podcast (Twitter link), former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gave credit to an unexpected source for helping to bring Kyrie Irving to the team in a 2023 trade. Cuban said ESPN’s Shams Charania, who was with The Athletic at the time, played an important role in making the deal possible.
“He was a big help with us getting Kyrie when we traded for Kyrie,” Cuban said, “and for us extending him when we extended because he had a great relationship with Kyrie’s agent.”
Teams were reluctant to trade for Irving at the time due to his contract and his troubled reputation in Brooklyn. But he became a star again after coming to Dallas and helped the Mavs reach the 2024 NBA Finals. He’s currently recovering from a torn ACL with hopes of returning at some point this season.
Charania broke the news of Irving’s trade to Dallas, and Cuban stated that they often exchanged valuable information.
“The flip side of it was, he would help educate me about other things happening around the league,” Cuban added. “So, we had a great relationship. He knew when not to ask, and I knew when not to ask about other teams because he wouldn’t tell me. But there were certain things he would tell me as it related to players and what their interests were.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The City of Dallas hired a commercial real estate investment and development company to find a site for the Mavericks to build a new arena, according to Everton Bailey Jr. and Nick Wooten of The Dallas Morning News. The team’s lease at American Airlines Center will expire in 2031, and the new ownership group has expressed interest in a basketball-first facility.
- Spurs managing partner Peter Holt posted a message on NBA.com about a potential $1.3 billion project to build a new arena in downtown San Antonio. The team has pledged to commit $500MM and cover any unforeseen costs, while the city has agreed to provide up to $489MM. City council authorized the project earlier this week, but the final decision will be up to Bexar County voters in November. “This will be a true public-private partnership,” Holt wrote. “The arena will be publicly owned, funded by visitors, and built to revitalize our downtown, create jobs and give future generations a place to celebrate together.”
- The Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, announced in a press release that they have agreed to a trade with the Iowa Wolves. Austin received the 13th pick in this year’s draft in exchange for the returning player rights of Luke Avdalovic, Justin Smith, a second-round pick in 2026 and a 2026 international draft selection.
- Rockets fans are very optimistic about the upcoming season, with nearly two-thirds expecting at least a spot in the Western Conference Finals, Kelly Iko of The Athletic states in sharing the results of a survey that attracted more than 700 responses. The trade for Kevin Durant drew an almost unanimously positive reaction, with 50.1% cautiously optimistic and 47% extremely excited.
Nets Notes: Demin, Summer League, Irving, Porter
There are mixed reviews about Nets lottery pick Egor Demin after he shot the ball better than expected during Summer League, but didn’t get to show off his play-making skills in a mostly off-the-ball role, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Following his first taste of competition against NBA-level players, the 19-year-old rookie’s takeaway is that he needs to get stronger.
“For me there was a lot of physicality these past couple of weeks, probably even more in the practices with my own teammates where the level of competitiveness is super high — probably even higher than in the games, because everybody wants to make each other better on the practices,” Demin said.
There were questions about Demin’s outside shot following his lone season at BYU, but he connected at 43.5% in Las Vegas on 7.7 attempts per game. However, he was barely used in the pick-and-roll and collected just four assists in Summer League along with nine turnovers. Lewis cites concerns about his lack of athleticism to separate from defenders and weaknesses with his dribble that allow smaller opponents to bother him.
Summer League coach Steve Hetzel also mentioned Demin’s issues with “physicality,” but expressed confidence that he’ll eventually overcome them.
“As a 19-year-old, there’s still a lot of room for his body to just fill out and grow,” Hetzel said. “And you’re going to see a massive change from Year 1 to Year 2 in his strength and how he plays. He has such a good frame, he’s 6-foot-9. So there’s no worry. It’s just everybody has a level of patience for allowing him to grow.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- The Nets’ other first-round picks had flashes of success in Las Vegas, Lewis adds in a separate story. Nolan Traore displayed a strong first step and an ability to get by defenders, but he didn’t finish well at the rim. Ben Saraf showed a good understanding of the game and has the size to fit in at the wing, but he didn’t ease any of the concerns about his jumper. Danny Wolf got off to a rough start, but eventually showed off his passing skills and his ability to stretch defenses. Drake Powell, the team’s other first-round pick, didn’t participate in Summer League due to a knee injury.
- Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts on the failed experiment in Brooklyn during a recent appearance on the Mind the Game podcast (Twitter link), Lewis relays in another piece. Irving said he regrets not doing more research on the Nets before signing with them in 2019. “I wish I would’ve handled the business better and got a chance to know them first, ask them questions, ‘Hey, what’s the future like?’ Instead of just committing blindly,” he said. “I didn’t have much power going in there. I couldn’t say who we could get and who we could not get. I couldn’t hire the coach. You guys knew my opinion on the head coach at the time.”
- After being acquired in a trade with Denver, Michael Porter Jr. compiled a video blog of his first experiences with the Nets. It includes his impressions of the practice facility and a workout with team trainers.
Southwest Notes: Irving, Jones, Sheppard, Kawamura
Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison said that Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule in terms of his rehab from a torn ACL, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
“Kyrie’s ahead of schedule, but we kind of knew he would be because of the way he attacks his rehab,” Harrison said. “He’s going two or three times a day. As much as he wants to rush it, we don’t want him to. But he’s going to be fine.”
No timetable has been set for Irving’s return but it’s anticipated he’ll back sometime after the New Year. The team added D’Angelo Russell in free agency to handle the point guard duties while Irving is on the mend. Irving signed a three-year, $119MM contract with a player option earlier this month.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Pelicans officially re-signed Herbert Jones to three-year, $68MM extension on Monday. New executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars issued a statement regarding the signing that was relayed by Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). “Herb Jones exemplifies all the great qualities our team values with his toughness, competitiveness, and commitment to getting better every day. We could not be more excited to sign Herb to this contract extension and keep him in New Orleans for many years to come,” Dumars said.
- Several teams have shut down prominent young players during Summer League action. The Rockets did just that with 2024 lottery pick Reed Sheppard, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. Sheppard had a 28-point game against the Clippers’ Summer League squad last week.
- Yuki Kawamura spent this past season on the Grizzlies’ roster as a two-way player. He wasn’t extended a qualifying offer and subsequently was added to the Bulls’ Summer League roster. Kawamura is disappointed that Memphis didn’t retain him, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I miss Memphis, for sure,” Kawamura said. “Memphis people are so nice. I wanted to play in Memphis this year, too, but it’s business. I’m satisfied right now. The Bulls organization is great. Good opportunity for me.”
Contract Details: Turner, Robinson, Mitchell, NAW, Kyrie, Jones
Myles Turner‘s new four-year contract with the Bucks came in a little higher than expected, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter).
Using the cap room left over after waiving and Damian Lillard and buying out Vasilije Micic (via the stretch provision), Milwaukee was able to give Turner a starting salary of $25,318,251. With annual 5% raises, his deal is worth a total of approximately $108.87MM. As previously reported, the contract also includes a fourth-year player option and a 15% trade kicker.
Here are a few more details on contracts officially signed around the NBA in recent days:
- Using Simone Fontecchio‘s outgoing salary ($8,307,692) and the expanded traded player exception ($8,527,000), the Pistons were able to take back a maximum of $16,834,692 in incoming salary. Not coincidentally, that’s exactly the starting salary that Duncan Robinson got on his new deal with Detroit via sign-and-trade (Twitter link via Gozlan). Robinson’s three-year deal has a declining structure and offers few guarantees after the first year — just $2MM of his $15.99MM salary in 2026/27 is guaranteed, and his entire $15.15MM salary for ’27/28 is non-guaranteed.
- Ajay Mitchell‘s new three-year deal with the Thunder came in a little lower than expected, at $8.7MM, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. It includes a fully guaranteed $3MM salary for 2025/26, replacing the team option Oklahoma City turned down that was worth the same amount. His $2.85MM salary for ’26/27 is partially guaranteed for $1.5MM, while ’27/28 is a $2.85MM team option.
- Reported to be worth $62MM over four years, Nickeil Alexander-Walker‘s new contract with the Hawks came in at $60,647,200, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. It includes a fourth-year player option and a 7.5% trade kicker. It also declines in year two (from $15,161,800 to $14,403,710) before ascending again in year three ($15,161,800) and four ($15,919,890).
- The three-year deal between Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks is worth $118,473,846, with a third-year player option and a 15% trade kicker, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. It starts at $36,566,002, with annual 8% raises.
- Tre Jones‘ three-year, $24MM contract with the Bulls has a flat structure, with annual cap hits of $8MM, and a third-year team option, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.