Tension is boiling over in Dallas these days. Ever since Nico Harrison pulled the trigger in the most blockbuster trade of the decade, nothing has gone according to plan. Even winning the draft lottery and snagging Cooper Flagg couldn’t turn things around. The Mavericks’ 3–9 start said it all, and in the end, nothing could save Harrison’s job either.

Now, Nico’s gone, and in his place, Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are co-managing operations till a permanent selection is made. That would mean Cooper Flagg has had three general managers in the first 12 games of his career. He’s also had to deal with the fallout of Harrison’s decision that he had zero part in, something that was seemingly a sore point for his mom.

Flagg, though, in his first game in the post-Nico Harrison era, has nothing but grace to offer. “For me, it’s about basketball. Now, obviously, I didn’t have an incredibly long relationship with Nico. But, you know, from when I knew him, he seemed like a really great guy, and we had a really solid relationship.”

He almost echoed Jason Kidd’s sentiments by shifting the focus away from Nico. “And today I’m here to play basketball, and, you know, whatever goes on above me, it’s above me. So, you know, I can’t worry about it too much. Just kind of keep trying to show up, and, you know, be who I am and try and get better every single day.”

Flagg’s composure under pressure is nothing new to Jason Kidd. He’s talked about it before. When reporters asked how the No. 1 overall pick handled the crowd’s “Fire Nico!” chants in their last game, Kidd didn’t hesitate to back his rookie’s poise.

“I would just say look at his game. That’s the simple answer. He’s very mature for an 18-year-old. And if it wasn’t his greatest game (on Monday), it was one of his best,” said Kidd. “He’s a winner, he wants to win, and he wants his teammates to make every shot. So understand that he’s 18, but in the end, he’s not afraid.”

Well, Flagg’s remarks should come as a relief for many. The Mavs do not have the time to get knee-deep in more controversy. After all, Harrison’s firing solves nothing that has been plaguing the organization. Anthony Davis, who was traded for Luka Doncic, is injured, and Kyrie Irving is out as well because of an ACL injury. Flagg’s production has been swinging on a pendulum, and the Mavs’ offense is among the NBA’s worst.

Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports

Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports

As for whether Harrison’s firing had impacted other players, especially the return timeline of Davis and Irving, Kidd said:

“No, everybody’s doing their part to get back. Everybody wants to play. Everyone who is hurt, the progress is good. At some point, hopefully, we’ll see Kai in a uniform. He wants to play. He’s working extremely hard, mentally and physically, to get back to help us…

“He’s sitting there using his voice in the locker room, he’s antsy cause he wants to help. And right now the only way he can do that is by using his voice, and he’s doing that every day at a high level.”

“AD’s doing the same thing. He’s working out; he had another positive workout today. So hopefully he continues to trend in the right direction. And so did Lively, who had a positive workout today. Hopefully, we’ll have these guys out there soon.”

So, each player seems to be locked in despite the drama. As Flagg had also said:

“There’s always noise… it’s been noise through college… there was noise when I was in high school… There’s always social media now, just in today’s day where we’re growing up and going through. Social media is a big part of that, and you just have to find ways to deal with it. You know, there’s always going to be distractions. There’s going to be stuff going on, people saying, you know, hate, whatever. So it’s just something we had to deal with, be more professional, and we just kind of continue to do our job and keep basketball at the forefront, and continue to worry about that.”

Now, it’s just a matter of that mindset showing up on the court. Jason Kidd also made a dramatic decision around Flagg tonight after Harrison’s dismissal, one that puts a lot of pressure on the rookie.

The Mavericks are relying on Cooper Flagg, but ‘Kidd’ doesn’t agree

With Kyrie Irving still recovering from a torn ACL, the Mavericks have been forced to run things without a true point guard, and that’s pushed Flagg into handling those duties. While he did take on some ball-handling responsibilities during his lone year at Duke, running the offense isn’t his natural game. He’s far more comfortable and effective when he’s playing at forward instead of trying to direct the floor.

Now, these experiments have been Jason Kidd’s brainchild. However, his son, TJ Kidd, finds them ridiculous. On Wednesday, TJ uploaded a video on X, where he openly questioned his dad’s choice to keep using Flagg as the team’s point guard. He also took a moment to sympathize with the rookie, admitting that it’s a difficult spot for the former Duke star to be in right now.

Yeah, no, I don’t know why he’s playing at the point guard. That doesn’t make any sense to me, he’s not a point guard, I know that,” TJ said.

“I think that he’s a great basketball player and has an incredible future ahead of him and all that stuff. I wish him nothing but the best down there in Dallas, but yeah, no I don’t get it. I don’t get the decision-making of any of it, but you gotta just control what you can control. Hang in there, buddy, hopefully it will get better down there,” he added.

Even Draymond Green had voiced similar concerns. It remains to be seen how the Head Coach will respond in the next game.