Mavericks unlikely to trade Kyrie Irving as team prioritizes Cooper Flagg’s growth

Nathan's NBA Rookie Rankings: Cooper Flagg Leads The Quarter Poll

Cooper Flagg was a heavy favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award before the season started. That narrative shifted against him, however, as he and the Dallas Mavericks struggled to find footing early in the year. Flagg was tasked with taking on point guard duties, and struggled as expected to run and balance an offense as an 18-year-old forward-sized player in the league.While Flagg was figuring out his place in Dallas as a young play…

Mavericks unlikely to trade Kyrie Irving as team prioritizes Cooper Flagg’s growth

Imagn The Mavericks don’t want to trade Kyrie Irving, and Cooper Flagg is the reason why. That’s according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who reports that Dallas views Irving as essential to developing its rookie forward the right way. “They don’t wanna deal Kyrie Irving,” Mannix said on The Ryen Russillo Show. “They think Cooper Flagg needs to play next to an elite point guard to develop him the right way.” Flagg has been one of the brig…