Cooper Flagg's rise will force the Mavericks to seriously shake up their roster

While part of the Dallas Mavericks' current roster has been curated to fit the playstyle of Luka Doncic, it's clear the team's new objective this summer should be to do their best to build around Cooper Flagg, as he is the future of the franchise. It was essential for Dallas to have a ton of wing defense surrounding Doncic on the last rendition of their team, but with Flagg being a dynamic defender at the wing spot, players such as P.J. Washington may not be as necessary anymore.

This isn't to say Washington and Flagg are doomed from ever being able to make it work together on the court again, as they've actually played well together recently since Washington has regained his confidence from shooting outside, but it's hard to argue they don't replicate a lot of the same skill sets on the court, especially defensively.

Dallas has one of the best rim-protecting and rim-running duos in the league when Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are both fully healthy. However, these centers fit Doncic's heavy pick-and-roll volume to a tee, and there's an argument to be made that Dallas may have enough aggregate defense at the wing position now that trading one of Lively II or Gafford could serve them well as far as constructing the roster around Flagg is concerned.

Building around Cooper Flagg has to start now

Whoever Dallas' next GM is, or if it continues to be Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, building the roster to fit Flagg for just next season can't be the only priority either, as Dallas needs to add some pieces that fit his timeline and can grow alongside him for the future. Most pointedly, the Mavericks should probably invest in a dynamic guard like Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings, or Keaton Wagler with their lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

With Kyrie Irving returning to the lineup next year, this wouldn't necessarily be a move that is filling a huge void for next season, though it would probably give Dallas more steady backup point guard play, especially if they lose Brandon Williams in free agency.

Most importantly, though, this could be Flagg's co-shot creator and playmaker of the future, as Irving is 34 years old and won't be around forever, so this is something the Mavericks must consider, given how little control they have of their first-round draft picks from 2027-2030.

Flagg and Doncic can't be built around the same way

While the Mavericks should definitely try to be competitive next season, they also can't balk at the opportunity to get more first-round picks back, or even a chance to get control of some of their future first-rounders back, as they need young assets around Flagg for the future.

Dallas was able to get away with having more average shooters from the wing spot in the Doncic era en route to still making an NBA Finals appearance, but this is not the case in terms of building around Flagg. Doncic is such a dynamic playmaker that he practically spoon-fed wide-open 3-pointers to guys like Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. in 2024, but with Dallas not getting as clean of looks from outside as much anymore, they need to add more playmaking and shooting around Flagg.

The evolution of Flagg's game will also dictate how Dallas builds around him, as he's averaging 6.5 assists per game since the All-Star break, and will continue to get more comfortable as a ball-handler and shooter throughout his career, but he'll never be the same player that Doncic is, so the Mavericks have to tailor their roster to his skill-set a little differently.