Cooper Flagg is out Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, but Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd made clear before the game that a return is coming.
Flagg has been sidelined since Feb. 10 with a left midfoot sprain, missing nine consecutive games while the Mavericks have gone 2-13 over that stretch. Monday’s upgrade from out to doubtful was the first movement in his injury designation since the injury occurred. Tuesday, Kidd went further.
“He’s ramping up,” Kidd said. “Everything is going well. Today he was going to get back into his routine and hopefully, as we go on this road trip, he can get out and play in a game or two.”
DallasHoopsJournal.com observed Flagg’s pregame workout at Spectrum Center, and the activity was consistent with a player nearing a return. Flagg went through a standard workout with no visible hesitation on the foot, launched off his left foot without issue, and shot one-legged jumpers planted on his left foot. Before going down, he was averaging 20.4 points on 48.2% shooting with 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks across 49 games — leading Dallas in scoring and steals.
What Cooper Flagg’s Return Means for the Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have not set a firm date. Flagg remains ruled out for Tuesday, and his designation is still doubtful. But Kidd’s framing — “a game or two” on this trip — points toward Boston on Friday as a realistic target. Flagg grew up in Newport, Maine, a short drive from TD Garden, and the Celtics game comes around just once a season.
The road trip runs through Charlotte, Orlando, Boston, Toronto, Atlanta, and Memphis — 11 days before Dallas returns home for a single game against Cleveland. Kidd called it the longest road trip for the franchise since 2011.
“Just the championship,” Kidd said of what he remembers from that trip. “That’s about it.”
He wasn’t losing sleep over the length of this one either.
“It’s basketball,” Kidd said. “We’re not going to overthink this. Whoever’s healthy is going to play. Whoever’s hurt is out. We’ll play it and find a way to get better each time we take the floor.”
Jason Kidd on the Rookie of the Year Race
Flagg’s return also matters in the ROY conversation. He and Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel — former Duke teammates and roommates — are the two frontrunners, and Tuesday’s game was supposed to be their second meeting of the season. Kidd was asked about the dynamic leading up to tip-off.
“When you talk about Cooper and LaMelo, they play the game the right way,” Kidd said. “They’ve had impacts on their teams. The game in Dallas was entertaining — high scoring — and both young players were on the show.”
Kidd was also asked about sharing the 1995 Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill, and turned it toward the current race.
“Grant was the favorite the whole year,” Kidd said. “We got lucky at the end in March and April and played at a high level. Since then, they’ve changed the voting rules, so there won’t be a tie, unfortunately. This rookie class is deep — not just Cooper and LaMelo. There are quite a few guys helping their organizations right now. It’s good to see young players helping their teams and playing the right way. But those two are at the head of the class. It’ll be interesting to see who wins Rookie of the Year.”
Dallas and Charlotte tip off Tuesday at 6 p.m. CST at Spectrum Center.
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