The Dallas Mavericks acquired the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft lottery on Sunday. Having traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, they now plan to use that pick on Cooper Flagg.

Cooper Flagg wouldn’t be the first Jon Scheyer-coached Duke player to suit up for the Dallas Mavericks. If Flagg is drafted by the Mavs in June ( as is widely expected ), he would get a chance to team up with Dereck Lively II. Like Flagg, Lively spent just one season at Duke before entering the professional ranks.

Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed what he loves about Cooper Flagg on Tuesday's edition of "The Herd."

Flagg has been the obvious No. 1 pick all season, but Harrison's decision to trade the 25-year-old Dončić for a 31-year-old Anthony Davis suggested that Dallas was all-in on the present. Had that been the case, Dallas could have offered Flagg for a number of veteran All-Stars, most notably Giannis Antetokounmpo should he become available.

Then the Raptors had two seasons of rebuild. The tanking in 2025 was, at times, blatant. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were cast off the boat, new players were drafted en masse, and all for a shot at culminating in Cooper Flagg.

The Dallas Mavericks shocked everyone when they got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which gives them the chance to draft Cooper Flagg.

Cooper Flagg expects to be the No. 1 pick of the upcoming NBA draft. But how much do you know about the superstar basketball player's family? Find out more here.

During the prime of his career, Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki often was unfairly compared to Larry Bird. Potentially, eventually, Flagg might be the much better Bird comp because of his two-way abilities; he’s more athletic than Bird and Nowitzki.