Tim Hardaway wants Dallas Mavericks to tread cautiously with Cooper Flagg: "The kid is fragile"

The stars are finally tilting in favor of the Dallas Mavericks after a chaotic last couple of months.

A majority of it has to do with them landing Cooper Flagg as the first pick in the 2026 draft.

Touted as a generational talent, he could help ease the pain of the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers for Mavs fans.

Back in February, the Mavericks sent shockwaves across the basketball community with their decision to trade Doncic and Flagg is now expected to fill that void.

However, there sare still concerns about Flagg meshing with the Mavs, who are in a win-now mode. Shedding further light on the subject recently was veteran guard Tim Hardaway, who spent 13 seasons in the league. He certainly felt caution needed to be exercised in this case.

“That’s something they have to figure out as a team, as a coach, you have to figure out his growth play. You gotta figure out his mistakes,”replied Tim, when asked about the room for Cooper to grow on a title contender.

“You can’t beat him down. You have to keep his confidence level up because you don’t need that guy. He’s fragile. The kid is fragile. He is coming into a situation where they wanna win. Right now,” added Hardaway, suggesting it was not going to be easy for Flagg.

Many find the hype around Flagg similar to what LeBron James witnessed in 2003 when he came into the league. That said, LeBron did not walk into a championship-contending team like Cooper did.

The Mavs don’t expect Flagg to carry them singlehandedly like LeBron did with the Cavs for years, but he is expected to contribute significantly right away.

Flagg is a generational talent, a perfect mix of size, strength, quickness and shooting ability.

King James addressed rookie comparisons to Flagg

While veterans such as Hardaway perceive a title-or-bust scenario as unfavorable for a rookie like Flagg, leBron had a contrasting view on the subject.

LeBron explained why Cooper was in the ideal position to immediately succeed.

“He has the benefit, unlike myself, he gets to join a team that’s established, right? With Hall of Fame guys – Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving – right off the bat. Hall of Fame coach Jason Kidd,” said James, who did not have the same privilege when he first entered the league.

There is no better example than James when it comes to carrying the burden of expectations from a young age.

Luckily for Cooper, he does not need to be the main guy, with several future Hall of Famers who are still in their prime helping him learn the ropes.

The Mavs are built to win

Nico did not trade a 26-year-old superstar in Luka to build for the future. The decision to pair Anthony Davis alongside Kyrie Irving on a deep roster was made to earn the Mavs their second championship banner.

Now, with Flagg coming on board, the aspirations have only gone up.

While Kyrie, Cooper and AD are enough to give any opposition a tough time, the Mavs cast also boasts Klay Thompson, D’Angelo Russell, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. The lineup does appear to fill both the offensive and defensive gaps optimally.

Everything said, the Mavs should not let all the noise get to Flagg, who, despite all the talent and skills in the world, is still a rookie.

The 18-year-old should be allowed to fall and learn, without burdening him with a minimum margin of error.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Tim Hardaway wants Dallas Mavericks to tread cautiously with Cooper Flagg: “The kid is fragile”

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