The Boston Celtics took down the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 120-100 on Friday night to get back in the win column after a disappointing loss to the Charlotte Hornets. While this game was very much about Jayson Tatum making his season debut for the C’s, it was also an important game for Mavs star rookie Cooper Flagg, as the Maine native played for the first time at TD Garden.
Flagg grew up a Celtics fan, and while he hasn’t even been with the Mavericks for a year, some folks have wondered whether he’d be interested in suiting up for Boston at some point in his career. After this game, though, Flagg shot down the notion that he’d even consider leaving Dallas.
“No, I love being a Maverick,” Flagg said after the game. “That’s home, and I don’t want anything else. It was incredible to be able to play here; obviously, this is the place I came as a kid and got to watch. I think it’s gonna be incredibly fun for the rest of my career to come here and play in front of this crowd.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg has become the face of the Mavericks’ future after the team traded away Anthony Davis earlier this season. In 51 games, Flagg has flashed his potential, as he’s averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from the field.
It’s very early to begin even thinking about whether or not Flagg would ever want to play for the Celtics, but the ties to the team (he’s also a former Duke Blue Devil, just like Tatum) are hard to ignore. For now, he will continue playing out the string for Dallas in its lost 2025-26 season, while Boston will look to make a push for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference over the next few weeks.
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