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As the 2025 NBA Draft nears, the Dallas Mavericks' attraction to Cooper Flagg only continues to grow. If the team's direction with the No. 1 overall pick was not already set in stone, Flagg's pre-draft workout sealed the deal.
Roughly one week ahead of the draft, the Mavericks flew Flagg out to Dallas for an official visit. There, he met general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd, along with several other team executives. After having dinner with the team on Tuesday night, Flagg performed a series of drills before a “large gathering of organizational representatives,” where he continued to “impress,” according to Mark Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
“Flagg had dinner Tuesday night at Dallas' famed Bob's Steak & Chop House with several Mavericks officials,” Stein wrote. “I'm told Flagg, not surprisingly, then insisted Wednesday on spending roughly an hour on the floor showing off his skills to a much larger gathering of organizational representatives and — also not surprisingly — made a very favorable first impression. Impressive is the word we keep hearing.”
The Mavericks were the only team Flagg met with ahead of the draft. However, Flagg participated in the pre-draft Combine, where he met with several other teams. But with Dallas showing no interest in going in any other direction, his destination is no mystery.
Flagg is an overwhelming 1,000-1 favorite to go No. 1 overall on Fanduel Sportsbook. That comes as no surprise, with no other player supplanting him as the betting favorite to go first overall for even a second since the odds were released.
Mavericks expected to take Cooper Flagg in 2025 NBA Draft
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Once the Mavericks take Flagg, he will become the team's first top-three pick since selecting its head coach, Kidd, at No. 2 overall in 1994. Flagg will also be Dallas' first player taken at No. 1 since Mark Aguirre in 1981.
Despite the franchise's middling success, the Mavericks have only had two top-10 picks in the last decade. Their 2018 draft — when Dallas took Trae Young at No. 5 and immediately traded him for Luka Doncic — is the most notable. They previously took Dennis Smith Jr. at No. 9 in 2017.
Once Flagg joins the team, he will immediately be relied on to lead Kidd's offense. In addition to losing Doncic during the 2024-2025 season, the Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving in 2025-2026. Irving tore his ACL against the Sacramento Kings on March 3 and will likely be out for the entire upcoming season.
