Duke star Cooper Flagg will 'carry on tradition' built by Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic

Cooper Flagg is now less than 24 hours away from hearing his name called in the NBA Draft, and at this point, it’s very clear where he’s headed. All signs point to Dallas, with reports even confirming that he’s already been dining with some of his future teammates.

“After a Tuesday dinner with team officials in Dallas, Flagg had dinner on Wednesday with Mavericks players, according to NBA insider Marc Stein,” Bleacher Report’s Julia Stumbaugh wrote.

Flagg had an outstanding one-year run at Duke, and expectations are high that he’ll continue to shine in Dallas. The Mavericks are so thrilled about landing Flagg that they accidentally jumped the gun, posting a graphic of him in a Dallas jersey before the draft has even started.

“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.

However, there’s already some speculation about how Flagg will fit into the team’s frontcourt. Anthony Davis hasn’t always been keen on playing center, which could limit Flagg’s development at the power forward position. Davis has long been vocal about preferring to play at the four.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has no doubts about Flagg’s talent and believes he’s ready to carry on the legacy of superstars in Dallas.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

“Dallas has been lucky for many years," Scheyer said. "They've been able to watch Dirk, Luka -- so many winning teams. Now, you've got a guy in Cooper, who I think will carry that tradition forward."

Flagg has been a standout since high school, and his game made massive strides during his lone year in college. There’s no reason to believe that growth will slow down in Dallas. If he lives up to the hype, he could be the next franchise cornerstone for the Mavericks.