Mavericks’ Sudden Decision to Bench Cooper Flagg Sparks Heavy Speculation—What’s Really Behind the Move?

There’s something electric about Summer League—fresh faces, eager shots, and the thrill of potential. But sometimes, a player steps in and just… outmatches the chaos. That’s exactly what Cooper Flagg did in Vegas during his sophomore outing. After a sluggish start with the Lakers, he lit up the court against the Nets, racking up 31 points like it was just another warm-up. The Dallas Mavericks, savvy and protective as always, saw enough—and decided to pull the plug on his Summer League run to safeguard their prized asset. It’s a smart move, really; these flashy showcases are as risky as they are revealing when it comes to rookies. Flagg’s journey to consistency—especially in nailing those jumpers against NBA-level defense—isn’t over yet, but his progress game-by-game was enough to earn the Mavericks’ confidence. And honestly? Sometimes, discretion truly is the better part of valor. LEARN MORE

The Mavericks agree and are going to shut Flagg down for the remainder of Summer League, reports Marc Stein.This isn’t a surprise, top picks who perform well (or, sometimes even when they don’t) only tend to play a couple of Summer League games. For teams, the risk of injury to their new multi-million-dollar investment outweighs what they might learn in what can be a chaotic, relatively unstructured game. Expect a few more of these announcements. Flagg struggled with his shot in his opener against the Lakers, shooting 5-of-21. That’s the concern heading into the season for him, the consistency of his ability to create space and knock down jumpers against NBA defenders. He looked better against the Nets, despite being hounded by a quality defender in Carter Bryant, and finished the game with 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting and 13 trips to the free throw line.LAS VEGAS — In his second game in Las Vegas, Cooper Flagg showed he was too good for Summer League, dropping 31.Flagg got better game-to-game, and that’s what the Mavericks wanted to see. And they have seen enough.