Written By Nick Crain | Published at October 7, 2025
Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hardest teams in the NBA to predict heading into this season. On one hand, they’ll be without Kyrie Irving for likely the majority of the regular season — at least until the All-Star break, based on what it sounds like right now.
They’ll also be integrating Anthony Davis after trading for him at the deadline last year, then only getting nine games out of him in a Mavs jersey due to injury. There’s a new starting point guard in D’Angelo Russell. And, maybe most importantly, there’s a rookie who could end up defining how the entire season goes.
That rookie is Cooper Flagg, and he’s the reason there’s real reason to buy low on the Mavericks. Depending on which sportsbook you look at, there’s a wide range of projections for Dallas in both win totals, Western Conference seeding and even playoff success.
BetMGM has the Mavericks at +4000 to win the NBA Finals, while bet365 has Dallas at +3300 odds to win a title. But the range exists because of the uncertainty, and Flagg is the swing piece that can turn that volatility into value.
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Flagg isn’t your typical rookie. He’s not just a favorite for Rookie of the Year — he has the kind of upside that could make him one of the top 50 players in the league as early as this season.
If that happens, the Mavericks can survive without Irving and be far better positioned than people expect when he returns. By the time Irving is back, Dallas could legitimately have one of the four most talented rosters in the West, capable of playing high-level basketball on both ends of the floor. Dallas is projected to win 41.5 games via Caesars Sportsbook, but there's no question the Mavs could win 50+ games if all goes right.
What makes Flagg such a potential line-mover is how unique his skill set is. He’s an elite two-way prospect — arguably the best since Victor Wembanyama, and maybe the most versatile since Luka Doncic entered the league. At 6-foot-10, he can defend three or four positions, protect the rim, switch onto guards, and then on the other end, initiate offense, handle the ball and facilitate like a wing.
He’s comfortable scoring from all three levels, and he has the basketball IQ of a seasoned pro. For a Mavericks team that’s had to balance offensive firepower with defensive consistency, he’s exactly the kind of connector that makes both work.
Flagg also gives Dallas lineup flexibility it hasn’t had in years. He can play as an oversized guard or a small-ball center, allowing the Mavericks to go massive lineups with Flagg, Davis, Daniel Gafford, and PJ Washington give them size, switchability, and rebounding across the board. Or they can go small and play him at the four or five in faster, more modern looks.
No team in the NBA has this kind of lineup versatility. And when you’re handicapping futures or seeding markets, that matters. Flagg gives Dallas multiple ways to win.
In the short term, he also keeps them competitive while Irving is out. It’s not unrealistic to think he could average 18–20 points a game early on as the team’s second or third scoring option.
He showed it in NBA Summer League and again in the preseason opener against Oklahoma City on Monday night. Even though the Thunder didn’t roll out its regular rotation, Flagg still stood out with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in just 14 minutes, flashing everything from on-ball defense to playmaking and energy. He even ran the point for stretches.
It’s a small sample, but it’s exactly what bettors should be watching.
If you’re looking for early-season value, this might be it. Right now, the Mavericks’ odds reflect uncertainty. But if Flagg looks anything like the player he’s been projected to become, those lines won’t stay where they are for long.
Come January or February, if Dallas is sitting comfortably above .500, Irving is coming back, and Flagg is proving to be one of those special rookie talents, bettors are going to wish they had bought low before the market corrected.
Every season has its early tells. Those small preseason signs that foreshadow line movement before it happens. Cooper Flagg looks like one of them.
He’s not just a promising rookie. He’s potentially the player who shifts how Dallas — and maybe even the entire Western Conference — looks by midseason.
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