Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg occupy opposite ends of the NBA experience curve, but their developing partnership is giving the Dallas Mavericks a workable structure for a new era.
Irving, 34, is a nine-time All-Star returning from a torn ACL after more than a season away. Flagg, 19, is the reigning Rookie of the Year and the player Dallas expects to build around. Through five games of the 2026-27 season, the Mavericks are 3-2, with both players contributing to victories over Indiana, Miami and Oklahoma City.
The sample is too small to establish what the partnership will become. Still, it has already shown why Irving remains valuable to a roster increasingly organized around younger players: Flagg can carry a large share of the creation and scoring, while Irving supplies ballhandling, shooting and experience without having to dominate every possession.
Flagg Is No Longer a Rookie
Flagg entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, but the original version of this story incorrectly described him as a rookie in the 2026-27 season. He is now a second-year forward coming off an exceptional debut campaign.
Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2025-26, earning Rookie of the Year honors. He became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, according to the NBA’s announcement of Dusty May’s hiring.
His second season has begun with an expanded playmaking role. Flagg scored 32 points in the opener against Houston, produced 29 points and 11 assists in a win over Miami and added 26 points and eight assists as Dallas beat Oklahoma City 120-96.
The Miami performance offered the clearest early example of how he and Irving can divide responsibility. Flagg controlled the closing stages, scoring 12 fourth-quarter points and blocking a potential go-ahead 3-point attempt in the final minute. Irving added 18 points and six assists, giving the pair a combined 47 points and 17 assists in the 113-109 victory, according to the official NBA game recap.
Two nights later, Flagg and Irving combined for 41 points as Dallas handed previously unbeaten Oklahoma City its first loss. Flagg led the Mavericks with 26 points and eight assists, while Irving scored 15 in his first regular-season home appearance since suffering his knee injury.
Those performances do not prove that Dallas has found a championship-level combination. They do suggest that the two players can share the offense without requiring identical roles.
Irving’s Return Adds More Than Scoring
Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025, and missed the entire 2025-26 season. He returned against Houston on October 21, 2026, scoring 15 points in his first regular-season appearance in approximately 19 months.
Dallas has managed his workload carefully. Irving sat out the second game of an early back-to-back, and May said the team was taking his availability one day at a time. The Mavericks have not established that he will play both ends of future back-to-backs, although May said that possibility could emerge later in the season.
Irving’s early production has been encouraging within those limitations. He scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers in a 121-105 victory over Indiana, followed that with his 18-point performance in Miami and scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half against Oklahoma City.
His presence also changes the type of defensive attention Flagg encounters. Irving remains a threat both with and without the ball, which can discourage opponents from loading their defense entirely toward Flagg. In return, Flagg’s size, passing and ability to initiate the offense allow Irving to conserve some of his on-ball workload as he returns from a major injury.
That arrangement is particularly useful because the Mavericks do not need Irving to reclaim his pre-injury playing time immediately. Before the ACL tear, he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 2024-25. His current value can include efficient scoring and secondary creation rather than a full return to that workload.
Leadership Became Visible Before the Season
The evidence for Irving’s leadership extends beyond assumptions about what he learned during rehabilitation.
At the Mavericks’ September media day, team president Masai Ujiri said Irving had organized multiple offseason camps and practices. Younger players also described Irving as an important resource. Dereck Lively II said he had leaned heavily on Irving while both players worked through injury rehabilitation, while Sergio de Larrea discussed the opportunity to learn from the veteran guard.
Irving also spoke directly about guiding Dallas’ younger players.
“We have a lot of young guys, including Cooper, that have a world of talent, but need that guidance, need that leadership, and I feel I tried to fill in that void as much as possible,” Irving said during the NBA’s Mavericks media-day coverage.
He described Flagg as an “old soul” and said the forward would lead the franchise into the future. That framing matters: Irving is not presenting himself as a rival to Flagg’s emerging status. Instead, his public comments indicate an acceptance that the team’s long-term direction centers on the younger player.
Irving Now Has Dallas’ Longest Continuous Tenure
The Mavericks acquired Irving from Brooklyn in February 2023. Following the October 2026 release of Dwight Powell, Irving became the current Dallas player with the longest continuous tenure, despite joining the organization less than four years ago.
That distinction illustrates the extent of the franchise’s turnover, but Irving is not the only remaining player from the 2024 NBA Finals team. P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are among the other current Mavericks who participated in that postseason run.
The organization’s larger transformation began with the February 2025 trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package led by Anthony Davis. Dallas moved Davis to Washington one year later in a three-team transaction that brought back several players and five draft picks, effectively ending that short-lived phase of the roster.
More changes followed after a 26-56 season. Dallas appointed Ujiri as team president in May 2026 and hired May, fresh from winning the NCAA championship at Michigan, as head coach in June. The roster now includes a mixture of established Mavericks, recent acquisitions and first-year players.
Within that environment, Irving provides a degree of continuity, even if calling him the sole connection to the Finals team would be inaccurate.
The Contract Decision Can Wait
Irving reportedly signed a three-year, $119 million contract in July 2025. The final season, 2027-28, is a player option, meaning he can decide whether to remain under the agreement for that year.
That decision will eventually require both basketball and financial considerations, but it is premature to treat a trade or departure as inevitable. Irving has only recently returned from a major injury, and Dallas is only five games into its first season under a new basketball leadership group.
The Mavericks first need to learn how reliably Irving can handle an NBA schedule, how his game develops after rehabilitation and how the roster functions around Flagg. Irving’s age and contract matter, but so do the stability and offensive skill he provides to a young team.
For now, the clearest evidence is on the court. Flagg is the franchise centerpiece, while Irving is helping organize the transition around him. Their partnership may not define the next decade in Dallas, as the original draft suggested, but it could determine whether the Mavericks’ latest overhaul produces a competitive team sooner than expected.
