A new era has begun for the Dallas Mavericks. Maybe now, the fans will let go of their grudges against Nico Harrison and move on. Well, they have no reason to hold on to the past because Cooper Flagg is here. Someone made sweet dreams out of this, yes, indeed! And it was the general manager and no one else. This seems like the biggest victory for Harrison after the series of backlash he faced for trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

Now, the 18-year-old Duke prodigy is waiting to wear that #32 on his back with pride. The iconic blue and white that the likes of Dirk Nowitzki donned became legendary. And yes, it’s a Flagg-raising ceremony in queue, as the 2025-26 NBA Season stands 4 months away.

Finally, Cooper appeared before the media, now as a Maverick. During the press conference, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon asked him: “There’s a statue of Dirk outside the arena. Obviously, he was the face of this franchise for a long time. He kind of handed the baton to Luka, the anticipation as if he would have been the face for a long time. Plans changed. There’s now that anticipation for you. How do you feel about that lineage and the responsibility that comes with those sorts of expectations?”

Now, while MacMahon brought up Doncic’s name in the conversation, Cooper Flagg didn’t hesitate to give the veteran reporter the side-eye. Looking to his right, the forward with a sneaky smile on his face, then replied: “Yeah, I’m coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day. And I think if I can do that to the best of my ability, think about expectations and pressures that other people will put on me and our team, that will kind of work itself out. So I’m just trying to come in and be the best that I can be and just win at the highest level.”

Cooper Flagg ruled his Blue Devils era. Standing 6’8″, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. With him leading the charge, the Blue Devils stormed into the Final Four. Awards followed like shadows—Wooden Award, ACC Rookie of the Year, and a spot on the ACC All-Defensive Team.

Now with the Summer League ahead, Jason Kidd is looking forward to experimenting with Cooper as a point guard. This decision is a bold one. The Mavericks now lack a true guard. Luka has left the team. Kyrie Irving continues to miss time after suffering an ACL injury in March. Meanwhile, former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban didn’t hold back. He openly shared his honest take on the team he has always loved.

Amidst Cooper Flagg’s candid reaction, Mark Cuban speaks his heart for the Dallas Mavericks

The last four months have been chaos, and Mark Cuban is absolutely here for it. “Yeah, it’s crazy. But it’s that recency bias, right? But it’s that recency bias, right? Because it’s been so recent, people don’t remember all the hell I got for letting Steve Nash walk. People don’t remember the Dwight Powell trade. Those things happened, but that was then; this is now. The good news is we can put together a team.” The man’s been through fire. But brushed off his worries and others’ concerns as the Mavericks are back in the lab with the future in Cooper Flagg’s hands.

“The front office has done a great job of putting together a team where we can compete.” And with a little luck? “We can have a really, really good team.” Cooper is about to step up while Kyrie Irving heals. Meanwhile, the league cracks through apeon crises. So, Cuban added: “You look at a lot of teams right now, and they’re blowing up their teams. They’re dropping bombs on their team because of the second apron. We’ve got our guys locked up.” He’s watching the cap move like a hawk on espresso. “We should be in really good shape.” There’s more brewing beneath the surface.

“Nico and Kyrie have had a strong enough relationship that they were able to work together to give us a little wiggle room to have somebody to fit in when Kyrie is out.” It’s messy, it’s loud, but it’s Cuban’s playground. And when asked if all this turns the ship around? He grinned, knowing things were changing. “That’s all from last year. People forget over time.” But he hasn’t. “Look at what Boston’s had to do. Look what Phoenix has had to do. All these teams that we looked at and said, ‘Okay, they’re just amazing and they’re ready to go.’ The second apron has changed how you build teams. Nico’s done a great job of pulling all these pieces together.”

A new kingdom rises, and its name is Flagg. Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks didn’t just draft a player—they sparked a revolution. From Cuban’s caffeine-fueled clarity to Nico’s redemption arc, it all aligns like a cosmic alley-oop. The past? Archived. The pressure? Owned. With Cooper leading, Kyrie healing, and the apron chaos dancing around them, Dallas isn’t rebuilding. It’s reloading—with swagger, scars, and something to prove.