Mavericks' opening move of free agency just prevented a Cooper Flagg nightmare

The Dallas Mavericks have been awarded the offseason from heaven. After drafting Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 overall pick, the team has looked to build off their Flagg pick to add more ammo while Kyrie Irving remains out with an ACL injury until some point in 2026.

The newest Maverick, D'Angelo Russell, who signed a two-year deal last night, will look to be the de facto first-string point guard while Irving remains down. With questions now surrounding Klay Thompson's role, Russell will help fill a void that will benefit Flagg in the best way possible. We know the generational superstar that Flagg has become in a short time, but giving the keys to an 18-year-old in the NBA to handle the ball at point guard could be more difficult than anticipated.

Russell provides the opportunity for Flagg to sit back and play his actual position, which is at small forward or power forward. Realistically, he can play from the one through four, but having a veteran point guard like Russell should calm Flagg down to allow him to play his real role, and of course, he'll have one of the best mentors of all with Irving giving him pointers while he's on the court.

D'Angelo Russell signing spares Flagg from point forward pressure

Jason Kidd probably saw the roster before the Russell signing and couldn't wait to let Flagg handle the ball and even play some point guard, but that may not be the smartest plan for the young rookie. Flagg can't be pressured to play the point forward this early in his career. He has to observe the real game speed before he gets regular touches as the point forward, and signing Russell brings a huge weight off Flagg's back.

Kidd expects Flagg to be a facilitator with the ball in his hands a ton. There's no doubt that Flagg is going to be a multi-level offensive threat when he's on the court, but even the best rookies require patience.

In the modern-day NBA, we often see big guys putting the ball on the floor, like Nikola Jokic, Alperen Şengün, and Joel Embiid. Flagg is a bit shorter than all of these guys and doesn't play center, but he can still become a lethal point forward one day if Kidd wants him to be.

As the Russell signing provides some help for Flagg's development as a young talent, the signing does come with plenty of risk. He's been a knockdown 3-point shooter wherever he's gone, but he's been traded numerous times across the league. He had two stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, and while it's not the end of the world for guys to travel across the league, his cold spells have been the kiss of death for other coaches he's had, like JJ Redick.

We can't judge a book by its cover, especially when he hasn't played a single minute yet, but on paper, this looks like a great signing for Dallas. The Flagg era is here, and it's time to build pieces around him for the 18-year-old phenom to grow so much more.