The NBA universe was stunned last Monday night when it was revealed the Dallas Mavericks had won the Draft Lottery, or the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
After having less than a 2% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, the future trajectory of the Mavericks completely changed. Despite many injuries throughout 2025, Dallas nearly made the postseason and now they get a chance to add the former Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.
“We love that kid from Duke,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said on the DLLS Mavs show. “(I’ve) been studying him for a little bit, that’s the answer.”
Flagg, a 6-foot-99 two-way forward who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals as a freshman, led Duke all the way to the Final Four, where they narrowly lost to Houston.
"We love that kid from Duke."
— DLLS Mavs (@DLLS_Mavs) May 19, 2025
Jason Kidd speaks who the Mavericks are looking at with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 Draft. pic.twitter.com/aAqseB2Oyn
He’s a fluid three-level scorer, bringing the ability to score off the dribble against virtually any defender since he can shoot over most contests and has elite potential on the defensive side of things.
Although Kidd is heavily impressed with Flagg, the former 10-time All-Star believes the talent level is extremely high in the upcoming draft.
“This draft is really talented,” Kidd added. “You have some young men at the University of Rutgers and so it’s exciting. Right now I’m studying the young man that used to play at Duke.”
It truly was a grueling season for the Mavericks as Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL, Anthony Davis missed time with an adductor strain, Daniel Gafford had a knee injury, and Derrick Lively II missed over half the season with an ankle fracture.
That doesn’t cover every injury, but you get the point. Kidd learned a lot about his team during a season that felt like it would never end during some portions.
“When I use the word incredible, I mean there were 4 or 5 seasons wrapped into one," Kidd said. “Injuries, the trade, injuries and more injuries. We’re trying to win. There’s no quit and there was fight. I was proud of the men in the locker room.”
With Flagg potentially on the verge of joining an already strong locker room filled with accomplished veterans, Kidd’s team might ascend into championship contention very soon.
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