The arrival of Cooper Flagg will certainly aid the Dallas Mavericks fanbase in moving on from Luka Doncic.
When Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, many believed that the Dallas Mavericks engaged in one of the most lopsided trades of all time.
Evidently, general manager Nico Harrison and the top brass faced the wrath of the Mavericks fanbase. To this day, many Mavs fans want Harrison fired, but if there’s one silver lining in this saga, it’s the arrival of Cooper Flagg.
The Mavericks selected Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and the former Duke star is expected to be the cornerstone superstar of the franchise.
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty ImagesDirk Nowitzki reveals his first text to Cooper Flagg
Prior to Doncic, it was Dirk Nowitzki who was the fan-favorite. After all, Dirk led the Mavericks to their sole championship in franchise history in 2011.
However, with Doncic’s departure, Nowitzki has somewhat distanced himself from the Mavericks. Even then, Dirk didn’t shy away from welcoming Flagg into the organization.
“‘Hey welcome. Obviously, congrats on being the first pick and welcome to Dallas. If there’s anything you ever need, I don’t know, advice, dinner, or basketball or whatever, I am just a phone call away.’
“So that’s how I left it, and that’s how I always was with Luka,” Nowitzki revealed on DLLS Sports.
While Flagg has the likes of Anthony Davis to mentor him on the Mavs, it must be a good feeling to know that Nowitzki is at his side too.
Dirk Nowitzki on his role with Luka Doncic
Doncic entered the league during the 2018-19 season, which was also Nowitzki’s final campaign in the NBA.
Keeping that in mind, Nowitzki revealed he was tasked with mentoring rookie Doncic. But in reality, Luka never needed Dirk.
“I was supposed to mentor Luka, but Luka, the way he read the game, he was so smart. His IQ was out of this world,” Nowitzki continued.
“He should have probably mentored me on reading the game and how to see the game. So he didn’t need much from me at all,” he concluded.
Indeed, Doncic is a generational superstar, and it will be interesting to see if Flagg turns out to be the same. Otherwise, the Mavericks will likely regret their decision to trade away Doncic.