Mavericks receive high draft grades for selection of Cooper Flagg

The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the 1st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft last night. The Mavericks are confident that with the selection of Flagg, the team can get back on track and compete in a loaded Western Conference.

Flagg comes to Dallas amid uncertainty about the future after the Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February. A majority of Mavericks fans expressed their anger with general manager Nico Harrison for making the trade. The Mavericks failed to make the playoffs last season as a result of the move.

With Cooper Flagg now likely the next face of the franchise, Sports Illustrated contributor Kevin Sweeney believes Flagg is the ideal fit for the Mavericks going into next season and gave Dallas an “A” for their selection.

"Flagg never relinquished his stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in this class, dominating at Duke as one of the youngest players in college basketball to separate himself from the field,” Sweeney wrote. 

“Landing him gives the Mavericks organization that traded Luka Doncic earlier this year a new face of the franchise. In many ways, you couldn’t pick a better player for where the Mavericks are right now than Flagg, whose defensive intensity and versatility will help Dallas win now while also giving Flagg the time to develop into an offensive alpha once Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis move on,”

With the selection of Flagg behind them, the Mavericks' focus now turns to free agency, where they hope to build around Flagg and add the right pieces to their team. The Mavericks also just extended Kyrie Irving and hope to have Anthony Davis back at full strength next season. Flagg now has his sights set on the NBA Summer League, which is set to begin in Las Vegas from July 10-20.