Former Maverick exposes what Dallas 'desperately' needs to add around Cooper Flagg

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off their offseason with a bang, as they hired a new team president and general manager and parted ways with Jason Kidd. Dallas' top priority now will be finding a new coach to help turn things around. The Mavs, though, can't ignore their other top item on their agenda: finding shooters to make Cooper Flagg's life easier on offense.

The above statement is something former Maverick and NBA analyst Tim Legler strongly supports. Last month, he jumped on the DLLS Mavs Podcast, exposing some of the Mavericks' roster holes and talking about how Dallas desperately needs more shooting around Flagg.

"You also desperately need shooting. I mean, they didn't have enough floor spacing last year," Legler said. "So they need guys that are natural scorers, that are going to be comfortable playing off the ball, letting Cooper Flagg do what he does, which is draw two (defenders)."

Legler's comments highlight Mavs' issues from last season

Legler's comments about the Mavericks' shooting flaws speak volumes about the team's offensive woes last season. Dallas was one of the worst 3-point shooting squads in the league. They ranked 26th in 3-point percentage, making 34.4 percent of their attempts.

To make matters worse, the Mavericks finished 29th in 3-point makes, only converting 11 per game. One reason Dallas struggled so heavily was their number of attempts. The team attempted 31.9 3-pointers per game, the fourth-worst in the league. The reality is that Flagg had no outside help, as the Mavs had no clear shooters who were consistent enough to command the defense's full respect.

Flagg even struggled to solve the issue, as it was clear he still had work to do on his 3-point shooting. Last season, he shot 29.5 percent from the 3-point line. He had his worst 3-point shooting performance in March, shooting 18.2 percent for the month. There were multiple games that month when Flagg failed to make a single long-range shot.

This further perpetuates the idea that Flagg needs sharpshooters around him. As Legler outlined, the 2026 Rookie of the Year excels at attacking the paint. He can draw attention from multiple defenders and dish out the ball to open teammates on the perimeter. It's why Dallas needs to find length at the wing position and top-tier players who can play off the ball to make Flagg's life easier.

The Mavs shouldn't take Legler's advice lightly. Dallas must help make Flagg's life easier and equip the offense with pure shooters.

The NBA Draft alone won't solve Dallas shooting woes

The Mavericks have options to help solve their shooting issues. The team can use their first-round picks to find young shooters, or they can use free agency to boost their offense.

Legler, though, believes Dallas should do the latter. He explains the draft alone won't solve the Mavs' need.

When referencing the shooting issues, Legler stated that Dallas "can fill that easier in other ways rather than utilizing that top pick to get it up there when you're talking about picking the top ten in the draft."

He elaborated on how Dallas should "focus on guys who are polished, can put the ball in the basket now."

The Mavericks should just follow Legler's advice. There are plenty of veteran shooters in free agency that Dallas could target. Some options include former Mav Tim Hardaway Jr., CJ McCollum, Marcus Smart, and Quentin Grimes. The players mentioned have plenty of veteran experience and could easily help elevate Dallas' offense and solve their shooting struggles.

So, Dallas has a possible solution to solve a weakness they urgently need to solve for Cooper Flagg's sake. The Mavs have made it clear they want to build around the former rookie, and it all starts with equipping him with tons of experienced shooters.

Legler's advice is something the Mavericks should make a priority this offseason. They need to get shooting help fast for Flagg's sake.

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