As the Dallas Mavericks have been dealing with injuries to top stars like Kyrie Irving, another key player who's dealing with an issue is rookie Cooper Flagg. With the Mavericks rookie in Flagg seen wearing a boot while attending a Duke basketball game, the latest reporting goes into his outlook regarding his injury.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Flagg is wearing the boot since MRI results revealed he has a left midfoot sprain, which, with that diagnosis, Dallas “feels fortunate.” Despite not knowing a timeline for his return, the team ‘appears relieved' with the left midfoot sprain, since it could've been worse.
“Cooper Flagg was indeed spotted with a boot on his left foot Saturday at Duke's home game against Clemson, but league sources tell The Stein Line that Dallas feels fortunate that last week's MRI results on Flagg only revealed a left midfoot sprain,” Stein wrote Monday. “It is still not known precisely how long the 19-year-old will be sidelined, but the Mavericks appear relieved that the injury was not more serious.”
Cooper Flagg is in attendance for today’s Duke game. He’s wearing a boot for his left midfoot sprain. pic.twitter.com/TX5G0FGIFY
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) February 14, 2026
What the Mavericks' “greater concern” is with Cooper Flagg's injury
While Flagg had to miss out on representing the Mavericks during All-Star weekend, there's no denying that the team will take it cautiously, as he is the player who will be built around for the foreseeable future. As Stein notes, the “greater concern” for Dallas is “nursing” the 19-year-old with the team having lost nine straight to head into the All-Star break, leading to a 19-35 record at this point.
“The greater concern for the Mavericks — provided, of course, that the injury gets no worse — figures to be nursing Flagg through the ongoing losing of a 19-35 season,” Stein wrote. “Dallas has lost nine games in a row, which is surely the longest losing skid of Flagg's basketball life and definitely ranks as the franchise's longest since a 15-gamer in 1997-98.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen when Flagg returns, as the Mavericks are 12th in the Western Conference, with their first game after the break on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
