Cooper Flagg was cleared on Dallas's Friday injury report, moving off the day-to-day tag he had carried since midweek. He is set to play in the Mavericks' opener against the Hawks on Friday night.
What happened
Flagg's status changed from day-to-day to cleared on Dallas's Friday, Oct. 16 injury report, filed at 7:00 p.m. ET, about an hour before the Mavericks' 8:00 p.m. ET game against the Hawks. He had been day-to-day since Wednesday, Oct. 14, when the report listed him as day-to-day for rest, and he remained day-to-day into Friday before the clearance came through. The report did not include a detail on the issue or any additional comment. No expected return date applies, since he is no longer listed with any restriction.
What it means for the Mavericks
Dallas opens its 2026-27 season against the Hawks on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET, with no record yet since the season has not started. Flagg gives the Mavericks a 19-year-old forward who averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 33.5 minutes over 70 games last season. Without him on the floor, Anthony Davis (31.3 minutes, 20.4 points), P.J. Washington (31.0 minutes, 14.2 points) and Naji Marshall (29.5 minutes, 15.2 points) led the minutes load, with Max Christie, Daniel Gafford and Klay Thompson also in the rotation. There is no record with or without Flagg yet, since Dallas has not played a regular-season game.
What to watch
Cleared means no restriction entering the opener against the Hawks, and no return timeline applies since he is already available. Dallas still lists Max Christie, Tarik Biberovic, Dereck Lively II, Jett Howard and Santi Aldama as day-to-day on the same injury report, so the next report is worth checking for any of those five before and after Friday's game. No further games beyond the Hawks matchup are specified yet.
Is Cooper Flagg playing vs Hawks?
Yes. He was cleared on Dallas's Friday, Oct. 16 injury report, moving off the day-to-day tag he carried into that day, ahead of the 8:00 p.m. ET game against the Hawks.
When will Cooper Flagg be back?
He is already back. Flagg was cleared on the Oct. 16 report and carries no restriction for the Mavericks' game against the Hawks that night.