NBA Draft 2025: Dallas Mavericks Forget Luka Doncic for Cooper Flagg

As expected, the Dallas Mavericks lived up to its luck in the previous lottery and selected Cooper Flagg as the number 1 pick of the NBA Draft 2025. This time Nico Harrison didn't want to be too original, didn't want to take any risks, and although his goal was to win this year or the next with Luka Doncic's trade, he couldn't say no to a generational talent like the former Duke player.

Having a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery and doing so right after the most controversial market decision in league history now lands you an 18-year-old gem who averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds this year. He is a physically gifted small forward, capable of scoring in various ways, with great wingspan, and able to defend multiple positions.

Besides the showcased traits, what makes him so special is his versatility and what he is expected to become. Indeed, if you read the reports about him, he seems like a mix of Kareem and Michael Jordan:

Defensive ability to guard players at different positions, rebounding skills, shot-blocking. And that's just in defense. In offense, he also has it all: perimeter shot, driving, and playmaking vision. Clearly a gem, one will have to wait to see how he performs and adapts right away to a team that, after what its GM just did, is eager to win.

They are already talking about how he will connect wonderfully with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving once he recovers. We'll see, he is only 18 years old, the Mavs being in a hurry is not his problem.

This is what LeBron James said about him: "He can play with and without the ball. He is very athletic. He has a quick second jump. And also, unlike me, he has the advantage of joining a seasoned team with future Hall of Famers, Klay, AD, and Kyrie."

Cooper Flagg, 18 years old, on why he reconsidered finishing high school in three years and becoming the youngest player to be picked number 1 in the NBA Draft since LeBron James: "A phrase my mother likes to repeat a lot: 'If you're the best player in the gym, then you need to find a new gym'."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, NBA Drafft 2025: Dallas Mavericks olvida a Luka Doncic con Cooper Flagg