Report: Mavericks shutting down Cooper Flagg for remainder of NBA Summer League

The Dallas Mavericks have seen what they want to see out of Cooper Flagg. After two games they’re shutting him down in the 2025 NBA Summer League, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Flagg scored 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting in a 76-69 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Dallas will be back in Summer League action on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets — meaning there will be no on-court reunion between him and former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel.

His debut matchup was less impressive. Flagg would end up finishing his first game in Las Vegas with 10 points shooting 5-of-21 to go with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. He totaled 31 minutes during the contest as the Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 87-85.

Flagg said the performance “wasn’t up to my standards,” after the game despite the win. He was appreciative of his teammates for keeping them in the game.

While Flagg didn’t have a great scoring night during his debut performance, he influenced the outcome of the game in a major way. During a key stretch, Flagg blocked LA’s DJ Stewart at the rim and logged the assist to Ryan Nembhard on a 3-pointer on the trip down the court to take the lead late in regulation. Since the Mavericks never relinquished the lead from there, it could be considered the game-winning sequence.

He turned around two nights later and proved why the Mavericks drafted him No. 1 overall. He took the same amount of shots as he did in the opening matchup but doubled the amount of them he made. The next highest scorer on Dallas’ Summer League roster was former Auburn standout Miles Kelly, who scored 11 points during the losing effort.

If one thing’s for sure, both matchups saw the former Duke star play freely. Flagg surpassed 20 shot attempts in both outings. For reference, Flagg’s season-high shot attempt last season at Duke capped at 22. Only twice did he surpass 20 over 37 games played and he did so in both of his two Summer League games.

It was a part of Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s plan to see what Flagg is made of. Kidd hinted that he was going to let the team play through Flagg and he did just that. In both games, the No. 1 overall pick had to play over 30 minutes — atypical of someone in Flagg’s position.

However, he handled it like the pro he now is. Flagg can now set his sights on preparing for his rookie season in the NBA. Opening night is set for Oct. 21.