The Dallas Mavericks do not plan to trade the No. 1 overall pick and will draft top prospect Cooper Flagg, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The Mavericks won the right to draft Flagg in Monday night’s NBA Draft Lottery, despite their 1.8% odds of owning the No. 1 pick.
Per MacMahon, Mavs governor Patrick Dumont believes the opportunity to draft Flagg is a “gift,” and while general manager Nico Harrison runs basketball operations, Dumont will make the final call.
The Mavericks landed the first overall pick after a rollercoaster season that saw them trade franchise player Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The seismic trade caused fans to lash out at Harrison, who continuously defended his decision. Fans made their feelings known in the games that followed, booing Harrison as the season began to slip away from the team.
Despite acquiring All-Star big Anthony Davis in the trade, the former champion injured his left adductor in his Mavs debut and missed several weeks.
Later in the season, star point guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL and is expected to return around January 2026.
Flagg’s arrival will be a breath of fresh air for a team that finished 10th in the Western Conference with a 39-43 record before losing to Memphis in the Play-In Tournament.
The 18-year-old will join the Mavericks after leading Duke to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Houston. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his lone season with the Blue Devils.
