CHICAGO — The ping-pong balls have spoken: Cooper Flagg might be headed to Dallas to start his NBA career.
And a fan base that lost Luka Doncic this season might have a new star to cheer for.
The Mavericks secured the NBA draft lottery’s top position on Monday night, granting them the No. 1 pick in the upcoming month’s draft. This selection offers them the first opportunity to select Flagg, the standout freshman responsible for leading Duke to the Final Four during his sole college season, crowned as the consensus player of the year.
Dallas defied considerable odds, with only a 1.8% probability of winning the lottery prior to Monday. Having reached the NBA Finals last season and subsequently disheartening their fans by trading away Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs emerged from Chicago with the most coveted prize.
San Antonio, boasting consecutive rookies of the year in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, will choose second. Philadelphia holds the third pick, while Charlotte will select fourth.
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to the Final Four in his lone college season. He shot 48% from the field, 39% from 3-point range, 84% from the foul line and was The Associated Press’ national player of the year.
And he’s had success against NBA players already. Last summer, when the U.S. Olympic team was holding its training camp in Las Vegas in advance of the Paris Games – where the Americans won gold yet again – Flagg was part of the select team brought in to scrimmage against the Olympians.
Flagg, who was 17 years old at the time, more than held his own in those workouts.
Utah will pick fifth, Washington sixth, New Orleans seventh, Brooklyn eighth, Toronto ninth, Houston 10th, Portland 11th, Chicago 12th, Atlanta 13th and San Antonio 14th.
Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
