The Dallas Mavericks have made a surprise decision regarding the Summer League fate of their No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg.
The 6-foot-9 pro, who was the youngest player in last month’s draft at age 18, notched averages of 20.5 points, 5.0 boards, 2.5 dimes, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks in two contests against the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Dallas went 1-1 in those games.
Per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, the Mavericks have opted to shut down the rookie forward out of Duke just two games into his debut Summer League stint.
The #Mavs are shutting down Cooper Flagg for the remainder of Summer League, a person’s familiar with the decision confirms.
Flagg averaged 20.5 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block in his two games against the #Lakers and #Spurs.@TheSteinLine was first.
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) July 13, 2025
Sitting elite prospects after brief summer sojourns is not an infrequent practice for NBA teams these days, so the Mavericks’ decision doesn’t come as a complete surprise.
Flagg’s addition will reset the timeline of an aging Dallas club, which had been headlined by the injury prone likes of 32-year-old center/power forward Anthony Davis, 33-year-old point guard Kyrie Irving, and 35-year-old wing Klay Thompson.
How soon Flagg is ready to contribute to a winning environment remains to be seen, but these future Hall of Famers are running out of time to keep contributing at a high level. Thompson is already well past his All-Star prime.
Flagg was Dallas’ only pick in the 2025 draft.
Now, the Summer League focus will turn to the Mavericks’ pair of rookie two-way signings, shooting guard Miles Kelly out of Auburn and guard Ryan Nembhard out of Gonzaga. Kelly and Nembhard were teammates on the Bulldogs during the 2023-24 season, before Kelly transferred to join the Tigers.
The 6-foot Nembhard, younger brother to Indiana Pacers swingman Andrew, is averaging 11.5 points on .374/.167/1.000 shooting splits, 6.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in his two games with Dallas.
The 6-foot-6 Kelly, meanwhile, has logged averages of 14.0 points while slashing .450/.357/1.000 (he’s taking 7.0 triple tries a night), 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.0 assists and 0.5 blocks per bout.
