The Dallas Mavericks have the No. 1 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25. In preparation, they’ve scheduled a personal exercise with Duke freshman Cooper Flagg for June 17, per ESPN.
The 6-foot-9 Flagg is anticipated to go first-overall on this month’s draft, however this transfer would solely make the chance of that occurring enhance. Per the report, the Mavericks haven’t any different plans to work out another gamers in personal like they’ll Flagg.
The implication there isn’t just that the Mavericks anticipate to take Flagg at No. 1, but additionally that, had been they to commerce their 1:1 choose to be able to purchase a haul of win-now belongings to pair with Anthony Davis and — ultimately — the rehabilitating Kyrie Irving, who’s recovering from surgical procedure to restore an ACL tear suffered in March — they’d not be receiving significant 2025 draft picks in return.
[Related: Inside the mind of Duke’s Cooper Flagg: ‘He wants to destroy his competition’]
All indications — each private and non-private, per ESPN — appear to be that the Mavericks will preserve the choose and use it to amass Flagg, nevertheless, particularly given normal supervisor Nico Harrison’s chorus of protection successful championships being the explanation the group dealt Luka Doncic to the Lakers in a surprising February commerce. Primarily, Flagg himself as seen as a win-now asset.
Flagg’s offensive potential is appreciable — he scored 19.2 factors per sport as a freshman at Duke, with 4.2 assists per sport as a ahead — however protection is the place he actually shines. He averaged 1.4 blocks and steals per sport whereas knocking down a median of 6.2 defensive rebounds, and the one questions on him coming into the 2024-2025 NCAA season had been about how shortly his offense would catch as much as his stellar defensive chops. Flagg ended up successful award after award for his one-and-done efficiency, which additionally included a visit to the Remaining 4 for Duke.
The Mavericks had only a 1.8% probability of securing the first-overall choose within the NBA Draft, and solely even had that a lot of 1 as a result of the workforce went into freefall falling the Doncic commerce. Regardless of the virtually nonexistent probability of being in line to draft Flagg, nevertheless, the Mavericks ended up successful the NBA Draft lottery, and at the moment are weeks away from bringing him to Dallas in the event that they select to take action.
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Cooper Flagg
Dallas Mavericks
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