- NBA. NBA Draft 2025 First Pick: Which team has the upper hand to select Cooper Flagg?
- NBA. NBA Draft Order 2025: Here's the full order of picks after the lottery
The Dallas Mavericks have just achieved the impossible, climbing to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after entering the lottery with the 11th-best odds at just a 1.8% chance. This was only possible after winning a random tiebreaker with the Chicago Bulls.
In this scenario, the Mavericks, still reeling from the Luka Doncic trade, are now in prime position to select Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg, widely regarded as a generational talent.
Cooper Flagg's reaction to the Mavericks' Lottery win
The former Duke standout appeared on ESPN's broadcast following the stunning lottery results and shared his reaction to being projected as the replacement for Luka Doncic, whose departure from the franchise left Mavericks fans devastated.
Though cautious, this was his response:
"This entire experience for me has been amazing. So, going forward... being a two-way player, that's something that I've been since I was a little kid, so I'm just going to keep doing that to the best of my ability." When asked if he expected it, he added, "I didn't try to think about it too much, I feel like it was out of my control, so I'm kinda going through the process like everybody else, and just trying to enjoy every single moment because we only get to do this once."
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, earning the National Player of the Year award as a freshman. When discussing basketball phenoms, Cooper Flagg's name is mentioned alongside the likes of Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson, and Anthony Davis (who could potentially be his next teammate).
The response from the top NBA Draft prospect was vague because the draft has yet to take place, scheduled for June 25. However, all signs point to it being nearly impossible to on a generational talent like Flagg, though Nico Harrison, the Mavericks' GM, is keeping everyone in suspense.