Cooper Flagg opened at +20000 to win the 2026-27 NBA MVP after averaging 21.0 points as a rookie and leading Dallas through a 26-win season.
DALLAS - Cooper Flagg opened at +20000 to win the 2026-27 NBA MVP on FanDuel Sportsbook. Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker share the number on a board of 50 names.
Victor Wembanyama leads as the favorite at +200, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander close behind at +350. Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić are both at +600. Thirteen other players are ranked a tier below Flagg, with odds of +25000.
Last season, a total of eight players received MVP votes. Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, and Wembanyama were the only ones listed on every ballot. Dončić, Cade Cunningham, and Brown appeared on the majority of ballots, whereas Kawhi Leonard and Donovan Mitchell each received a single fifth-place vote. Flagg was not among them.
Flagg led rookies in scoring with 21.0 points per game, was second in assists with 4.5 and steals with 1.20, and ranked fourth in rebounds at 6.7 and fifth in blocks at 0.91. The Dallas Mavericks star topped rookies in games with 25, 30, 35, and 40 points, with no rookie since Allen Iverson in 1996-97 having four or more 40-point games. His 51-point game against Orlando on April 3 included 19-of-30 shooting, 6-of-9 from 3, and perfect 7-of-7 free throws, along with six rebounds, three assists, and three steals in a 138-127 loss.
Flagg was only the third rookie in 45 years to average at least 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The only others are Michael Jordan and Dončić.
Opening night was very different. Flagg went 4-for-13 with three turnovers in a 125-92 home defeat against San Antonio. In subsequent games, Dallas stationed him at point guard at times.
From February 12 to March 3, he missed eight consecutive games because of a foot injury. During that time, Kon Knueppel narrowed the gap for Rookie of the Year. However, Flagg ultimately won the award with 412 voting points. He was also selected for the All-Rookie First Team, alongside Knueppel, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, and Cedric Coward.
His season concluded early in the second quarter of the final game against the Chicago Bulls when Flagg injured his left leg. He hobbled to the locker room and three minutes afterward, Dallas officially announced he was out due to a left ankle sprain.
Flagg's key for a real MVP outlook will be to rapidly improve the Mavericks' record. Dallas went 26-56 last season. Typically, the MVP goes to a player who is leading their team to one of the NBA's best records. Flagg will need to lead the Mavericks well beyond just a top six seed in the Western Conference. Keep in mind, the youngest MVP in NBA history was Derrick Rose, who was 22 when he won the award in 2010-11. Flagg turns 20 on Dec. 21.
Whether Flagg wins MVP or lands on an All-NBA team this season or not, he has shown enough promise to look ready for a future with Team USA. NBA executives polled by Kurt Helin of NBC Sports listed him among six locks for the 2028 Olympic roster in Los Angeles, with Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, Cunningham, and Bam Adebayo.
Dallas opens the regular season Oct. 21 against Houston.
