Mavericks pull No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg from NBA Summer League: here’s why

After plenty of fanfare, Cooper Flagg’s career with the Dallas Mavericks is underway, with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft having taken part in NBA Summer League games against the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. However, we won’t be seeing the teenage forward in the remaining two games of the tournament, as first reported by NBA insider Marc Stein.

Flagg’s up-and-down Mavericks start

Flagg had contrasting fortunes in his first two appearances for the Mavs. In the highly-anticipated clash against the Lakers and Bronny James, he registered only 10 points while shooting 5 of 21, describing his performance in his team’s narrow victory as “one of the worst games of my life.”

“Not up to my standard, but I’m going to improve,” Flagg expanded. “I’m going to be all right.”

Indeed, the 18-year-old bounced back superbly despite being on the losing side against the Spurs. Boosted by a strong showing in the second quarter, Flagg scored 31 points to bring his Summer League average up to 20.5 points (and 5 rebounds) per game.

The reason the Mavericks are shutting down Cooper Flagg

Flagg won’t have the chance to build on that momentum, though, with Stein reporting that Dallas have decided to shut down their new superstar for the rest of the summer. Following the defeat to the Spurs, the teenager confessed to being “exhausted” and that he was still getting used to playing as a point forward.

The Mavs therefore appear to have decided not to overwork Flagg in what are essentially meaningless games. The No. 1 pick has already done enough to show what he can do, so the focus will now be on ensuring he is as ready as possible for when the real action gets underway in October.

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