With Cooper Flagg just having made his pre-draft visit to Dallas yesterday, the Dallas Mavericks are practically counting down the days till June 25 rolls around and they can officially ring in a new era by selecting Flagg No. 1 overall. The Mavericks could certainly still be primed for a trade between now and the draft, or even one on draft night, as the first domino of the NBA offseason fell on Monday with Desmond Bane being traded to the Orlando Magic.

However, the Mavericks and their front office are likely savoring the waning stages of this NBA season before the offseason fully kicks off on draft night, given how much of a spectacle the last few months have been for the organization. With all eyes on the upcoming Game 6 of the NBA Finals in the NBA media world right now, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving gave a strong and just message to Mavericks fans and fans around the league in regards to league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as Irving has always been one of the biggest truth-sayers and intelligent analysts when it comes to breaking down the game.

Gilgeous-Alexander has had one of the best seasons in NBA history, whether the Oklahoma City Thunder drop the next two games to the Indiana Pacers or not, and Irving recognizes the greatness being displayed by Gilgeous-Alexander in these playoffs, as he vehemently dispelled the notion Gilgeous-Alexander is a foul merchant while on livestream the other day.

"A lot of you guys being talking about, you guys be being funny, talking about he's a free throw merchant, he's this and he's that," Irving said in regard to Gilgeous-Alexander. "Nah man, Shai just plays the game the right way, he plays at a high level."

Irving even went as far as to say Gilgeous-Alexander is one of "the prototypes for the next generation" afterward, so it's clear he has immense respect for Gilgeous-Alexander's game after the two jousted at each other in last season's Western Conference Semifinals.

Mavericks fans and NBA fans alike have attached that label to Gilgeous-Alexander since he's risen to stardom, and while it's undeniable the slithering and crafty footwork Gilgeous-Alexander uses often baits defenders for fouls, this narrative is overblown to Irving's point. There are obviously certain games where superstars like Gilgeous-Alexander may get a softer whistle, but the nature of his game warrants many of the foul calls he gets, and anyone watching the NBA Finals has seen there hasn't been too much of an imbalance in terms of how the games are being refereed on either side.

Something more controversial from a refereeing standpoint in terms of Dallas' rivalry with OKC, as well as how this current postseason is going, would be some of the dirty plays that Thunder guard Lu Dort has committed. Dort has barely been penalized by the league or any referees for making plenty of non-basketball plays against the Mavericks last postseason, as well as in this current postseason, as Dort will oftentimes try to brush off these instances by acting nonchalant right after he commits one of these acts.

While Dort's situation is certainly up for debate in terms of the legitimacy of some of his defensive tactics, the Mavericks can't subscribe to the notion that his teammate in Gilgeous-Alexander is a free throw merchant, as it's a far more outlandish argument and Irving rightfully pointed out that Gilgeous-Alexander is simply one of the greats, and Dallas will inevitably have their hands full trying to contain him at the point-of-attack for seasons to come.

The Mavericks could be one of the few teams in the Western Conference that can give the Thunder headaches next season given Dallas' size advantage as well as the fact that the Mavericks were 3-1 versus the Thunder in the regular season this year, and the addition of Flagg could fiercely re-ignite this I-35 rivalry. However, Mavericks fans should be wary of how effective Gilgeous-Alexander could be in those matchups, as he's proven he's anything but a foul merchant throughout this entire season.