Mavericks tease shocking Cooper Flagg-led starting lineup to flip the NBA on its head

This week marked a huge step in the history of the Dallas Mavericks franchise as they gear up for the next era of Maverick basketball. They not only drafted the future face of the franchise with the No. 1 overall pick in Cooper Flagg, but they revealed what number Flagg will wear as he begins his tenure with the Mavericks (No. 32).

While the draft was headlined with the selection of Flagg for the Mavericks, the team failed to trade back into either the first or second round of the draft to acquire a ball handler to pair with Flagg. Although Dallas failed to trade back into the draft, the team did make a huge splash in the undrafted free agency market by signing Gonzaga star point guard Ryan Nembhard to a two-way contract in the hopes that he can develop alongside Flagg.

With Nembhard likely needing time to develop into the player he can potentially become in Dallas, former majority owner of the Mavericks, Mark Cuban, teased the possibility of a Flagg-led starting lineup with the former Blue Devil handling the rock.

Mark Cuban's bold vision puts Flagg at starting point guard immediately

Since selling the team to new owner Patrick Dumont, Cuban's role with the Mavericks organization has been increasingly diminished; however, he is still close with many members of the team. While Cuban might not have the voice he once had within the organization, his vision of Flagg running the starting lineup as a point guard could be something Jason Kidd entertains.

In Thursday's introductory press conference, where Nico Harrison, Kidd, and Flagg all spoke to the media, Cuban revealed to the media that he texted Kidd about Flagg potentially running the offense.

"I'd send a text to J-Kidd, point guard, point guard, point guard, let him bring the ball up..." Cuban said.

While expecting Flagg to run the show in just his rookie season is a big ask, Kidd did express interest in letting Flagg handle the rock in the first two games of this year's Summer League games, and potentially beyond. By allowing Flagg to handle the ball and run the offense in the Summer League, it's going to give the team and coaching staff a good sense of what Flagg can bring if the Mavericks ever were to roll out a starting lineup with Flagg running the show during the regular season.

Allowing Flagg to dish out passes and tempo the offense will have its growing pains naturally, but if Cuban's dream lineup of Flagg, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and one of the two Maverick big men manning the five comes into reality, Flagg would likely be the main facilitator.

Not only would Flagg get his feet wet at what it's like to run the show on an NBA floor, but this could quite literally be Dallas' biggest lineup, which would create a defensive nightmare for any team they match up against. Already adding Flagg is going to make Dallas one of the biggest rosters in the entire league, but if Kidd were to spice it up and roll out this starting five at any point in the season, it would be an instant must-watch.

With this lineup, there are some obvious concerns on the offensive end, and it starts with the lack of a true offensive initiator, but if Flagg can prove he can be a secondary ball handler while Irving remains sidelined, it may be something Mavs fans will get to watch. The other obvious concern with this lineup is the lack of spacing and shot-making, which might also create an interesting dynamic with essentially four forwards on the floor.

There will be a lot of eyes on Flagg's first Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers, considering he is the first overall pick, but more importantly, Kidd will be watching with the intent to see how Flagg will handle carrying the offensive load. If he can step up to the plate and deliver, there could be a world where Cuban's dream lineup comes into fruition.