“I have a feeling things are about to change.” Cooper Flagg didn’t say that as a top prospect strutting into Duke. He said it after months of soul-searching, grinding through hours of sessions with his longtime coach Matt MacKenzie, trying to find his rhythm in Durham. One year later, he wasn’t just back — he was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. And in just two Summer League games, Flagg reminded everyone exactly why the hype was real.

Against the Lakers in his debut, he didn’t shoot the lights out — just 5-of-16 from the field — but the flashes were there. Point Flagg split ball-handling duties with Ryan Nembhard and still dropped 4 assists, commanding the floor like a seasoned vet. A few nights later, he erupted for 31 points on 10-for-21 shooting, bullying through early double-teams and running the offense like he owned it.

Still, the jump to NBA-level physicality is no joke. Even in Vegas, Flagg showed signs of hesitation — shaky off the glass and sometimes getting swallowed on finishes. But his raw potential still came through: 20.5 points, 5 boards, 2.5 assists, and 1 block in just over 31 minutes a game. And in a recent sit-down with ESPN’s Vanessa Richardson, Flagg gave a subtle reminder.

As per Mavs Film Room’s tweet on the interview, “Cooper Flagg just said it was “exhausting” to handle the ball to ESPN’s Vanessa Richardson.” In his debut against the Lakers, Flagg did everything on the floor, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. But the responsibility of playmaking seemingly affected his scoring, as he finished with just 10 points on 5 of 21 shooting. Against the Spurs, the rookie fixed his shooting struggles, but his assist count dropped to one.

Clearly, handling multiple aspects of the game at once was an issue. For the Mavericks fans who saw Luka Doncic control everything on the floor for seven years, this certainly is not a new patience test though. The Slovenian averaged a nearly 28.6-point triple-double. However, his versatile offensive production might have been the reason behind his defensive fatigue. That was the reason why Nico Harrison traded the superstar to the Lakers in the first place despite knowing the heat he will receive after the surprising trade. And Cooper’s confession confirms that it’s not easy being a floor general while being the primary scoring option on an NBA team.

Flagg will gradually adjust to this new setting. But as talented as he is, dominating in the NBA is a whole different ball game. Addressing the stark difference from the college environment, the rookie said after his Summer League debut, “It’s just a different game. Different pace, different feel, different spacing. It’s a lot of adjustments, but we’ll be alright.” His thoughts after Saturday’s 76-69 loss to San Antonio didn’t change either.

“I think it’s a new environment, new setting. They want to see me be aggressive and do that type of stuff. I think I did that a lot better today, just getting to the line, getting fouled, and that helped me to get comfortable and get settled in early,” he said despite a 31-point outing, knowing he will be Dallas’ centerpiece going into the regular season.

Once Cooper gets used to the NBA style of basketball, it will become easier to maintain his conditioning and go full throttle for 48 minutes every night. Plus, Kyrie Irving and D’Angelo Russell will be the primary ball handlers on most nights anyway. Certainly, the Mavs are looking forward to the time when everything starts clicking. Possibly why they are not pivoting to the LeBron James pursuit.

Nico Harrison not interested in revamping Mavs roster for LeBron James

As Dallas heads into the Cooper Flagg era, there have also been speculations of a potential LeBron pursuit. Ever since Rich Paul publicly stated that the Lakers star wants to play on a title contender, four teams have reportedly inquired about his availability in the trade market. Reports suggest that Mavericks are one of those teams.

While a LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie reunion sounds great in theory, it might not be feasible because of LBJ’s $52.6 million salary for next season. Per reports, Lakers do not want to take any contracts that go beyond next season in a Bron trade. And not many teams in the league have expiring contracts to match the four-time champ’s salary, including Dallas.

Even if they did, Nico Harrison “does not have interest in gutting the Mavs roster” in pursuit of the 40-year-old veteran, per The Athletic. Media veteran Kevin Gray Jr. also confirmed that “The Mavericks are not pursuing a trade for LeBron James, one league source told @DLLS_Sports tonight.”

Looks like Mavs are focused on going all in with their current roster and have no intention to add LeBron despite the buzzing trade rumors. Do you think that’s the right call by Nico?