Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg is a forward for the Dallas Mavericks and one of the defining young players of his generation. Born on December 21, 2006, in Newport, Maine, Flagg first drew national attention at Nokomis Regional High School before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida. He also won gold with the United States at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 World Cup and became the first college player since 2013 invited to train with the U.S. Olympic team before the 2024 Paris Games.

Flagg played one season at Duke in 2024-25, leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four while collecting ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, consensus first-team All-America recognition, and the major national player-of-the-year awards. Dallas selected him with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. At 6-foot-10, he combines size and defensive versatility with ball handling, passing and scoring skill that allow him to fill several roles on both ends of the floor.

He averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks across 70 games in 2025-26, winning NBA Rookie of the Year and earning All-Rookie First Team honors. Flagg opened 2026-27 as Dallas's primary young cornerstone, scoring 32 points in his first game of the season. His two-way range, feel for the game and rapid development make him central to the Mavericks' long-term plans.

Flagg signed his four-year rookie-scale contract with Dallas on July 2, 2025. The contract is worth $62,730,226 and runs from 2025-26 through 2028-29, with an average annual value of $15,682,557.

The first two seasons were guaranteed at signing. Dallas exercised its third-year team option for 2027-28 in October 2026, increasing the currently guaranteed total to $43,552,080. The Mavericks retain a team option for 2028-29. If that final option is exercised and Flagg does not sign an extension, he is scheduled for restricted free agency in 2029.

Standard No. 1 overall pick rookie-scale contract. Dallas exercised the 2027-28 team option in October 2026; 2028-29 remains a team option. The guaranteed figure reflects the first three seasons after exercise of the third-year option.