Nobody has it worse than Dallas Mavericks fans. A little over a year since the biggest trade in history rocked the sports world, the fan base continues its slow, painful, and steady recovery. But a lot has changed since my last piece on the Dallas Mavericks, where I wrote about the challenges of following Luka to Los Angeles. Since then, we’ve seen the rise of Cooper Flagg, the firing of GM Nico Harrison, and the trading of Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards.
After months of scrutiny, injury after injury to Anthony Davis, and a lackluster Mavs record, time finally told, and team Governor Patrick Dumont finally pulled the trigger and fired Nico Harrison. The firing provided a wounded fan base an immediate and much-needed jolt of hope. Not long after, interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi finally made the move everyone had been waiting for and traded Anthony Davis for mostly salary relief and some draft compensation.
Dawn of a New Era
Now let’s talk about Cooper Flagg. The 19-year-old has been, to put it lightly, phenomenal—putting up numbers comparable to LeBron James’ rookie season while already developing into a true two-way beast. His more athletic style of play has been an absolute joy to watch. This isn’t a shot at Luka by any means, but having a superstar who can throw down monstrous dunks night in and night out brings a level of excitement that just feels more fun than today’s three-point-heavy style of play.
Once Jason Kidd stopped running the Cooper Flagg point guard experiment, things seemed to really turn around for Coop. The kid regained his confidence and started to have fun out there, and that only grew after Nico Harrison was fired. Despite the Mavs’ continued losses, the vibe noticeably shifted. The “Fire Nico” chants disappeared, the frustration with ownership began to settle, and the team started to show hints of what a Cooper Flagg–led group could be. Basketball became fun to watch again.
Looking at where things are today, the Mavs are hoping to land a top-seven draft pick to pair with Cooper Flagg and officially begin the new Mavs era—one I hope will rise from the ashes after a year in hell.
This brings me to what this piece is all about: Who is going to lead this future, and does it include a return from Dallas’ former prodigal son, Luka Dončić?
Caught Between the Past and the Future
I’ve been seeing a lot of hopium on the timeline lately about a possible return of Luka to the Dallas Mavericks. According to NBA Twitter, things are not going well for him in L.A. The scrutiny over his gameplay has never been greater, playing alongside LeBron James is a constant annoyance, and the front office seems to be doing little to provide a championship-caliber supporting cast. On top of that, the recent fallout with his fiancée has only added to the drama. All of this, combined with the rise of Flagg, the firing of Nico Harrison, and the promise of an upcoming lottery pick, has some Mavs fans salivating at the thought of Luka’s return.
While all this talk on NBA Twitter is interesting, it also makes me uneasy about the message it sends to Cooper Flagg and his family. At the start of the season, there was a back-and-forth on Twitter involving Cooper’s mom, Kelly Flagg, about fans chanting “Fire Nico” while her son was at the free-throw line. While the exchange ended amicably, I believe it highlighted the delicate reality of Cooper Flagg being the new face of the Mavs franchise versus those fans who still have that spot emotionally reserved for a certain Slovenian.
A Word of Caution
To be clear, its very possible I am just projecting my own paranoia with what I see on my feed but when you begin to read chatter about how Cooper Flagg was “Born to be a Celtic” after his recent promo with his favorite player Larry Bird, you really can’t help but feel a bit nervous. I do believe Cooper Flagg wants to be a Dallas Maverick and bring a championship to the city someday, but I worry that all this chatter could manifest in ways that make him feel unappreciated or alienated, and ultimately push him to take his talents elsewhere.
Now I’m sure professional sports writers and those who have better insights on this stuff will tell you it doesn’t matter—that if Luka is available and wants to return to Dallas, that Cooper Flagg and co. would welcome him with open arms. And I’m sure most Mavs fans who continue to obsess over a possible Luka return mean well. I’m just here to say that we should all be a bit more mindful when we talk about this stuff.
While we can keep an eye on the Luka situation, for now we should all pledge allegiance to the Flagg and fully embrace a new Mavs future.
