Duke legend Cooper Flagg's future not safe in Dallas under GM Nico Harrison's track record

The NBA Draft is drawing closer as we reach the midpoint of June. By now, it’s widely expected that Cooper Flagg will land in Dallas—but that move might happen without a head coach currently in place.

“But with the Kidd rumors spiraling over the last few days, this nearly set up an unprecedented time for an 18-year-old Flagg at a time when he doesn't need any distractions. He's set on joining the Mavericks without any unknowns, but with the front office and their recent history, we can't be too sure,” The Smoking Cuban’s Jared A’Latorre wrote.

The first sign that the Mavericks are all in on Flagg came when it was revealed that he was the only draft prospect the team planned to work out.

“The Mavericks have no plans to work out any other prospects for the No. 1 pick and have made clear publicly and privately that they plan on selecting Flagg when Adam Silver puts them on the clock to open the 2025 NBA Draft,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote.

The second clue came from a very premature move by the Mavericks—posting Flagg on their official website.

“DLLS Mavericks reporter Kevin Gray posted on X a screenshot from Mavs' official website that displayed Flagg in Dallas' white home jersey – part of a premature ‘Welcome to Dallas’ graphic that was quickly removed from the team's site,” Yahoo Sports’ Jeremy Beren wrote.

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However, despite the Mavericks being fully committed now, Flagg’s long-term future in Dallas could be uncertain under GM Nico Harrison’s leadership.

“The point is, Harrison's history is a red flag that Flagg is not necessarily safe being in Dallas. This shows that the Mavs have opened up a lot more, getting the No. 1 draft pick, and Dumont has to bring in someone to work alongside Harrison to make sure he treats his superstar in the Flagg era differently than he did in the Doncic era,” A’Latorre wrote.

Flagg has the potential to become one of the greatest to ever play the game, but with Harrison’s recent track record of moving on from franchise players, anything remains possible.