The Dallas Mavericks were gifted a golden opportunity when they won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, giving them the chance to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg in June if they so choose. All indications point to that being exactly what they'll do.
Flagg should be a perfect fit in Dallas as a two-way prospect, as his elite defensive potential is exactly what Nico Harrison is looking for. All Harrison has said since trading Luka Doncic away is "defense wins championships," and even if Flagg will be much younger than the rest of the team's core, he fits that mantra perfectly.
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Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg
Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates after a basket during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Kyle Boone of CBS Sports recently published a mock draft for the 2025 NBA Draft, obviously taking Cooper Flagg for the Mavericks, but he put a lot of pressure on Nico Harrison to make sure this works.
"Nico Harrison has insisted time and again that defense wins championships. He'll have a chance to put that theory to the test in adding Flagg, the most dynamic defender and best overall player in the class. Flagg is coming off a Player of the Year campaign at Duke as a freshman and is second only to Victor Wembanyama among prospects since I began evaluating players in 2016."
If the Mavericks still can't have success once Kyrie Irving returns from injury, Nico Harrison will have a lot to answer for, both from ownership and from an already irate fanbase. Landing Flagg has eased the pressure for now, but they have to make the playoffs and likely win a round or two for it to be enough of a proof of concept.
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