NBA Scout Explains How Kyrie Irving’s Return to Mavericks Will Help Cooper Flagg Thrive

Editor’s Note: For the upcoming Sports Illustrated 2026–27 basketball preview magazine that will hit newsstands in October, SI spoke to anonymous scouts around the NBA about all 30 teams.

The ghosts from the Mavericks’ past are gone. Nico Harrison was fired at the beginning of last season amid the continued fallout from the shocking Luka Dončić trade. Anvthony Davis, the centerpiece of the Dončić trade, was moved to the Wizards at the trade deadline for picks and expiring salary.

When lottery luck hit and Cooper Flagg arrived as the first pick of the 2025 draft, the Mavs got a lifeline. Flagg’s rookie season lived up to the hype as he looked like a future superstar on his way to Rookie of the Year honors.

With Flagg in town, Dallas suddenly became one of the more exciting young teams across the NBA. Over the offseason, longtime Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri was hired to lead the front office. Jason Kidd and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways after five seasons at the top of the bench, which led to the splashiest head coaching hire of the offseason in Dusty May, fresh off a national title at Michigan.

With a new regime and a young superstar in the fold, Dallas gets more juice this season with the return of Kyrie Irving after he missed all of Flagg’s rookie year while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in March 2025.

“Irving returning will be a big help,” an anonymous NBA scout told Sports Illustrated. “For one thing, he takes the best defender off of Flagg. In a lot of cases, if a team has one great perimeter defender, he's going to be on Kyrie. So that helps anybody when that is the situation. And then Kyrie's playmaking, drawing help, maybe Flagg can get some easier buckets off the ball.”

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There was a presumption that Dallas may decide to move on from Irving since he’s owed over $80 million over the next two seasons and is on a completely opposite timeline than Flagg. Seeing as Irving hasn’t been traded yet, the Mavs apparently want to at least give the duo a shot. Adding one of the NBA’s shiftiest guards and best playmakers next to Flagg will make life a lot easier for the young star.

“Flagg has a real maturity to him, a little bit more refinement to his game. He definitely came out and attacked with aggressiveness, which was good to see for a rookie,” the scout said to SI. “Obviously, his shot has to get a little bit better for him to really become a complete offensive player, but you really can't argue with the debut that he had last year. I feel like he's on pace to be what everyone hoped he would be.”

The newest Rookie of the Year is already a forceful defender and plays above the rim which has led to eye-popping scoring totals. He hit 40 points or more four times as a rookie, highlighted by a 51-point masterpiece against the Magic toward the end of the season where he knocked down six three-pointers. Should the distance shot become consistent, it’s scary hours for the rest of the league.

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Offseason recap

Who’s in: Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, Tarik Biberović, Naji Marshall (extension), Moussa Cissé (re-signed), Morez Johnson Jr. (draft), Sergio De Larrea (draft)
Who’s out: Klay Thompson, Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, Ryan Nembhard, Brandon Williams, AJ Johnson

Although he was already on the team, Irving is the addition that will impact the Mavs the most on the court next year. The franchise took some interesting swings on players who may have needed a change of scenery, too. Zaccharie Risacher, the top pick in the 2024 draft, arrived through a trade with the Hawks. He won’t reach the heights of a typical No. 1 pick, but he could be an impactful player who can space the floor as Dallas grows.

“Atlanta obviously thought Risacher was a bust. But from an outsider's point of view, I feel like you got to give the guy at least a fighting chance,” the scout told SI. “He didn't get much opportunity last year. It feels like they had already written him off. So I wouldn't want to call him a bust just yet, but I'm guessing he's not going to pan out to be a typical No. 1 pick either.

“But what does he do? That's the question I like to ask sometimes with these guys. What's their NBA skill? And if your NBA skill is your body, I don't really buy into that too much, because there's a lot of guys out there that have long arms. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I've seen it yet, what his bread and butter would be.”

Even if he doesn’t pan out, the Mavs paid a low price to take a shot on the talent.

Dallas also brought in Santi Aldama, who can provide floor spacing for Flagg out of the frontcourt. Marcus Sasser could make an impact, too, as a microwave scorer and shooter off the bench. May gets one of his Michigan standouts in Morez Johnson Jr. after Dallas chose him with the ninth pick in the draft, which added an electrifying and rebounding forward to the young core.

The Mavs didn’t lose too much over the offseason. Klay Thompson was bought out and joined Miami after he no longer fit the team as it quickly pivoted into a rebuild. Ryan Nembhard was sent to the Hawks in the Risacher deal. He had a nice rookie season and vacates some guard depth, which the Mavs hope Sasser and first-round pick Sergio De Larrea can fill.

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SI’s prediction for the 2026–27 Mavericks

Record: 36–46 | Predicting the 2026–27 NBA Standings: Which Teams Will Rise, Fall and Surprise?

The Mavs should be better than their 26–56 finish last year. Another year for Flagg and Irving’s return makes Dallas a clear candidate to take a step forward over the upcoming season. However, the Western Conference is too good for such a young team to take a considerable jump. Maybe the Mavs surprise and make a push toward the play-in tournament and get into the playoffs that way, but we likely have one more year and some more roster shuffling until Flagg makes his team have a say in the loaded West.

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