After injuring his left shoulder during Friday’s win in Indiana, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg underwent an MRI, which revealed a mild left shoulder sprain, the team announced today (via Twitter).
According to the Mavs, Flagg will be out for Saturday’s home opener vs. San Antonio and will reevaluated next week.
While it’s obviously never great news when a player gets hurt, it sounds like Flagg avoided a major injury. He’ll likely miss at least a few games — Dallas also plays Monday, Wednesday and Friday — depending on when he’s checked out again and how much progress he makes in the coming days.
The first overall pick in the 2025 draft, Flagg won the Rookie of the Year award in 2025/26 after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 70 appearances (33.5 minutes per game). The former Duke star has averaged 23.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 3.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG through two games (25.0 MPG) in ’26/27.
As Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal writes, Flagg is one of 10 Mavericks on Saturday’s injury report. Six have either been ruled out or are doubtful to suit up, while four who played Friday — Kyrie Irving (left knee injury management), Max Christie (right shin contusion), Zaccharie Risacher (right hip soreness) and Morez Johnson Jr. (right shin splints) — are considered questionable Saturday.
Head coach Dusty May said prior to Friday’s game that Dallas was taking a cautious approach to injuries in the first week of the season, Afseth notes.
