The moment Cooper Flagg and the basketball world have been eagerly waiting for, yet expecting for a month-plus, has come and gone. He finally walked down the stage as a member of the Dallas Mavericks upon hearing his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. It's an exciting moment that marks the beginning of what many expect to be a long, fruitful career.
Flagg is ready to embark on the next chapter of his journey after the Mavericks chose him No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft. He's touted as the consensus top-ranked player in a strong prospect pool and among the best incoming talents/first picks recent league memory. The questions now shift to how the Duke phenom fits in Dallas' starting five.
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Projected Mavericks starting lineup after drafting Cooper Flagg
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Kyrie Irving* | Point Guard |
Klay Thompson | Shooting Guard |
Cooper Flagg | Small Forward |
Anthony Davis | Power Forward |
Dereck Lively II | Center |
After taking the nation by storm in his lone collegiate campaign, Flagg projects to immediately supplant veteran wing P.J. Washington as the fifth starter. The latter has been a steady two-way presence for the Mavs since getting traded to them midseason in 2023-24. Nonetheless, the former became the face of Dallas' organization the moment the ping-pong balls improbably bounced in their favor on May 12, 2025.
Mavericks standout guard Kyrie Irving will miss a significant chunk of next season while recovering from his surgically-repaired torn left ACL. But there's been "optimism" that he'll be ready to return to action "by January," according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Regardless, the nine-time All-Star will be Flagg's running mate for the foreseeable future, thanks to a freshly inked three-year, $119 million contract extension.
Whether the Mavericks rely on in-house options to fill Irving's ball-handling and facilitating/playmaking void or on an external addition remains to be seen. They've been linked to free-agent guards like Chris Paul, Dennis Schröder, Malcolm Brogdon and D'Angelo Russell. Given the list of names, it's clear Dallas wants to bring in someone with experience who can run their offense in the interim.
Klay Thompson's role as a long-distance marksman alongside Flagg and Co. doesn't change regardless of who's out there. As age and injuries have taken a toll on him, he's lost the defensive element of his 3-and-D archetype. However, the "Sea Captain" can still shoot the cover off the ball with the best of 'em.
Joining Flagg in Dallas' crowded frontcourt will be superstar big man Anthony Davis and burgeoning young 7-footer Dereck Lively II. Daniel Gafford could also man the starting five spot, considering the Mavs handed him a lucrative three-year deal. Either way, the Mavs have 48 minutes of high-level center play and an interior super sub at their disposal.