Dallas Mavericks Legend, Dirk Nowitzki, Has High Praise for Rookie Mavericks Forward

The Dallas Mavericks made a generational mistake. They traded away a top-five NBA player who had just taken them all the way to the NBA Finals. Sure, they got Anthony Davis in return, but trading Luka could go down as the dumbest transaction in NBA history. 

However, instead of the basketball gods punishing them for their mistake, they were gifted the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They selected Duke phenom Cooper Flagg. 

Recently, the greatest Maverick ever met up with Cooper Flagg and had these comments about the rookie. 

“The hype is real, for sure… I’m not the biggest college sports watcher in general, whether that’s basketball or any sport, but of course, I checked out Cooper. Sky is the limit, honestly… What I saw, just the way he reads the game already at that age. (He’s) barely 18, athletic, (has) skills. I heard his work ethic is through the roof. Everything I saw and heard is he’s the real deal…Hopefully, Mavs fans will have (Flagg) for a long, long time.”

Getting this stamp of approval is a big deal. Nowitzki is one of the greatest forwards ever, and he knows what it takes to win in Dallas. 

Nowitzki also went on to have some pretty optimistic takes on the Mavericks' chances in the West next season. 

“I think they’re pretty stacked. I’ve been saying it the last few weeks. To me, it all depends on health. When’s Kyrie coming back? Is he gonna be 100 percent when he comes back? Is AD gonna stay healthy? We know Lively missed some action over the last few years. But if they stay healthy, I think that’s a very deep team…They can play multiple ways with Cooper’s versatility on the wing…To me, it’s all about health, and if they’re healthy, they can have a good year in the West…if they’re healthy, it’s gonna be a great season for them.”

This seems a bit less likely than Cooper Flagg being great. The Western Conference is as tough as ever, and the Mavericks are going to be leaning on two injury-prone superstars and a rookie to lead their team back to the NBA Finals.

For the Mavericks, falling short this season isn’t a huge deal. They still have Flagg for the near future and could pivot to create a younger team around him. His performance and the rest of the Mavericks' season will likely dictate what the team wants to do with their roster in the future.