Dallas Mavericks Make Final Injury Decision On Cooper Flagg Against Orlando Magic

The Dallas Mavericks are in the middle of a very long road trip. They will technically return home for one game next week, but they'll be right back on the road after that. In total, it's nine games in a row that they play at a different location.

Star rookie Cooper Flagg has been out for the last eight games, as well as the Rising Stars Challenge in All-Star Weekend, due to a midfoot sprain. However, he was upgraded to questionable ahead of Thursday's game against the Orlando Magic.

News started trickling out throughout the afternoon that Flagg was truly a game-time decision for the game, but that there was optimism he would be able to play tonight. In Jason Kidd's pre-game press conference, he confirmed Flagg would return for this game with a minutes restriction between 20 and 25 minutes. They also remain hopeful that he will be available for tomorrow's game against the Boston Celtics, which is the closest game to his family in Maine.

RETURN OF THE ROOK#MFFL pic.twitter.com/5WtlBUqOrm
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 5, 2026

Cooper Flagg's Rookie of the Year Push Starts Now

Since Cooper Flagg has been out with the injury, his former Duke roommate, Kon Knueppel, has overtaken him as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Flagg was the heavy favorite all season long, especially after his 49-point performance against Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets in January.

However, once Knueppel set the rookie record for three-pointers made in a season, he quickly overtook Flagg. He's struggled in some recent games, but he's been great almost all season, and the Hornets have rocketed up the Eastern Conference standings.

The opposite can be said about the Dallas Mavericks, who have the 7th-worst record in the NBA, and are likely trying to be even worse than that. They know that this year is the last year they can control their draft pick until 2026, and this could be their last chance to add another young star alongside Cooper Flagg.

Tonight's game against the Orlando Magic could be an interesting one. The Magic have been one of the more disappointing teams of the NBA this season, as they've dealt with a lot of injuries to Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, and even when Banchero has been healthy, he's struggled at times to be efficient, and they're not anywhere near the team they thought they would be.

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