When the Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on Monday night, it locked in more than just a franchise-altering moment—it ensured former Duke star Cooper Flagg would become the No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft.
Flagg, 18, is a native of Newport, Maine, who reclassified from 2025 to the 2024 high school class to become eligible to play immediately at Duke. In his lone season with the Blue Devils, he was named the consensus national player of the year after averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. He is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg will join former Duke teammate Dereck Lively II in Dallas, forming a frontcourt pairing with rare defensive potential. While they weren’t teammates, both players spent one season under Jon Scheyer in Durham before declaring for the draft, and the Blue Devils head coach couldn’t help but reflect on how surreal that journey has been.
“For me, the first thing I thought of is he gets to be with Dereck Lively,” Scheyer said Tuesday on SportsCenter. “Dereck, as a head coach, was the first guy to get drafted. So to go from the first lottery pick that I’ve coached, to who I think is going to be the No. 1 pick, that’s a pretty special thing to think about those two guys together.”
Scheyer added: “Obviously, Kyrie [Irving], the Duke connection, as well. I think Cooper will be incredible there.”
The Mavericks entered the lottery with a 1.8% chance of winning the top pick, making their leap to No. 1 one of the most improbable outcomes in lottery history. Scheyer said he and Flagg never discussed Dallas as a potential landing spot.
But while the destination was a surprise, the fit appears to be mutual. Sources at the NBA Scouting Combine told DallasHoopsJournal.com that Flagg is “energized” by the idea of joining Dallas and sees it as a strong situation for early development. With veterans like Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving in place, and a clear need at the forward spot, Flagg is expected to take on immediate responsibility while benefiting from structure and experience around him.
“Being a two-way player is something I’ve done since I was a little kid, so I’m just going to keep doing that to the best of my ability,” Flagg said Monday.
He also emphasized his mindset during the pre-draft process, focusing on consistent growth over targeting any one weakness.
“I think for me it’s always about just getting better all around,” he said. “It’s not one specific thing that I’m looking at. It’s just a collective group of things and trying to get better every single day.”
When asked what Flagg should focus on heading into his rookie season, Scheyer pointed to one trait above all else: confidence.
“Look, of course, he would tell you every part of his game he could get better at,” Scheyer said. “But I think the main thing is just continuing not to defer. I think as a rookie, especially when you’re on a team with Kyrie and [Anthony Davis], if that turns out to be the case, Cooper is at his best with the team that he’s on when he’s fully himself.”
The 2025 NBA Draft will occur on Wednesday, June 25, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There will be no suspense when Dallas is officially on the clock—Cooper Flagg is headed to the Mavericks.
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