Mavericks exercise Flagg's 2027-28 option, guaranteeing $15.2M salary
The Dallas Mavericks exercised their third-year rookie scale team option on forward Cooper Flagg on Saturday, guaranteeing his $15.2M salary for 2027-28. The team announced the move in a press release, according to Yardbarker, which reported the salary figure.
Flagg is on a four-year rookie scale deal with team options for its third and fourth seasons, The Dallas Morning News reported. His 2026-27 salary, the amount of the 2028-29 option and the contract's total value were not disclosed in the reporting.
The Mavericks acted ahead of the league deadline for rookie scale options, which RealGM reported falls on Monday, November 2 this year because October 31 lands on a weekend.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year last season and averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, per the Morning News. He led the Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists and steals, joining Michael Jordan as the only rookies in league history to do so, the paper reported.
The Mavericks finished 12th in the Western Conference last season and missed the playoffs, the Morning News reported. Kyrie Irving is returning from a torn ACL that kept him out for 19 months, The Sun reported.
"Everybody in Dallas expects a great second year from Cooper," Dirk Nowitzki told The Sun at an Amazon Prime launch event in New York. Nowitzki said Irving's return "gets Cooper off the ball a little bit more."
In 2025-26, Flagg's $13.8M salary ranked 123rd of the 435 rated players, per WAGE.
His production that season, a total earned in 70 of the Mavericks' 82 games, ranked 126th, close to where his salary sat.
That left him 188th cheapest per unit of production among the 399 rated players whose production was above zero, and earned him a WAGE Score of 60 last season, in the Going Rate tier.
That score was earned on last season's salary and does not carry over; the guaranteed salary for 2027-28 will be read against what he produces that season.
The Mavericks will decide on the fourth-year option before his fourth season, The Dallas Morning News reported.