Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg looks on against the San Antonio Spurs. Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks fighting between two timelines with Cooper Flagg

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 3:45 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks have an internal battle within their roster at the moment.

ESPN highlighted the issue the Mavs will face throughout the course of the season.

"In Dallas, a No. 1 pick (Cooper Flagg) who would ordinarily be surrounded by young teammates instead joined a roster aiming to win a championship on the timeline of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving," ESPN wrote.

How will Mavericks build themselves?

The Mavs aren't the typical team that gets the No. 1 overall pick. Just 14 months ago, the Mavericks were in the NBA Finals, but after some bad luck and good lottery fortune, they have landed a potential franchise cornerstone in the draft.

Flagg has the potential to be a No. 1 option for a champion someday, but that isn't today. In most scenarios, Flagg would have moved to a team that clearly needed a top option to build around. That isn't the case with the Mavs.

While Dallas views Flagg as the future of the franchise, the team also has a good chance of winning now with Davis and Irving both on the roster as well.

Davis and Irving raise the team's floor, so the Mavs will at least be competitive even if the latter will be out for most, if not the entire, season with a knee injury.

However, Dallas finding win-now assets could affect the long-term future of the team in hopes of trying to build around Flagg.

It's a balancing act that won't be easy to navigate, but the Mavs have a good problem on their hands.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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