According to sources reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Dallas Mavericks will do the obvious thing and select Cooper Flagg with the number one overall pick in June.
Sources informed MacMahon that Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont considers the chance to draft a player of Flagg’s caliber a “gift”. The Mavericks had a very small chance of jumping into the top spot, just 1.8%, and the move from 11th to 1st is the largest draft lottery jump in NBA history.
Of course, the fact that something like this is reported as breaking news is part of the entire problem with how the Dallas Mavericks have operated throughout the 2024-25 season. Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison went all-in one too many times and created an environment where all his decisions are open to second-guessing.
Flagg is a steady prospect; his freshman year at Duke he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while also winning every National Player of the Year award there is. He’s also young; at just 18 years old he won’t turn 19 until December of 2025, partway through his rookie year. This is not a player you pass on, even if the Dallas Mavericks are in a win-now mode. While rookies do not typically help with winning, it’s reasonable to assume Flagg may buck that trend.
There’s still six weeks until the NBA Draft on June 25th, so one could assume things may change for the Mavericks. For now, though, the clarity is nice. We’ll still likely cover the draft like Dallas could make other choices, but having the first pick in a draft with a clear choice is an amazing feeling. Flagg really might be that dude. Here’s to hoping the Mavericks stay to their word and follow through with this pick.