Cooper Flagg can opt out of Mavericks NBA Draft pick and return to Duke by this key deadline

Cooper Flagg is set to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

But what if he doesn't want to play for the Mavericks? They just won the lottery on Monday night and with it, the right to pick Flagg.

But he has about two weeks to change his mind about coming to the NBA.

May 28 is the NCAA's deadline for a player to withdraw from the draft and return to school.

It's highly unlikely that Flagg got to this point only to reverse course. He has no reason to do so, unless he worries about a crazy Luka Doncic-esque trade down the road.

But he may have spent the last few weeks looking at the lottery odds and wondering if he really wanted to join any of those bottom dwellers. 

A big part of the dilemma of returning to school is Flagg could very well be looking at the same options next year.

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Duke isn't counting on a Flagg return, and NBA fans should expect to see him as Rookie of the Year in 2025-26.

But Mavs fans will likely be very happy to see May 29 roll around.

If Flagg is still in the draft class as May turns to June, he's as good as locked in to his new home.