For the past two months, Dallas Mavericks fans were miserable after the team traded away star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, and wanted to send general manager Nico Harrison out of town. But on May 12, Mavericks fans may feel a bit...happy?
On Monday, the Mavericks won the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time ever. Now, they have the chance to select Duke superstar and generational draft prospect Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick. Talk about lottery luck!
With Flagg seemingly likely to land in Dallas (unless Harrison has other plans), let's take a look at how their starting lineup would look like in the 2025-26 season.
Projected 2025-26 Mavericks starting lineup with Cooper Flagg
Without further ado, the projected Mavericks' starting lineup with Flagg in the mix.
Position | Player |
|---|---|
PG | Kyrie Irving |
SG | Klay Thompson |
SF | Cooper Flagg |
PF | Anthony Davis |
C | Derek Lively II |
On paper, the Mavericks should have a pretty solid lineup entering next season, one that could potentially increase their odds of contending in the Western Conference post-Dončić trade.
Kyrie Irving obviously slots in as the starting point guard, but he may not be ready until midway through the season, as he recovers from a torn ACL. In that case, Brandon Williams would fill in as the starter until he returns.
At shooting guard would be Klay Thompson, who is coming off a rough first season with the Mavericks. In 72 games, Thompson averaged just 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from the three-point line. The hope is with Flagg in the lineup, Thompson can see some improvement
Obviously, Flagg is a forward, but he woud be best served as the small forward due to the presenc of Anthony Davis. Obviously, Davis was the big piece the Mavericks got in return for Dončić. Upon his arrival, Davis suffered a groin strain that limited him to just nine games with the Mavericks. In that span, Davis averaged 20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 46.1 percent from the field.
Finally, the center position will be held by Dereck Lively II, who is a former Duke first round prospect like Flagg. Lively played just 36 games after suffering a stress fracture in his right ankle back in January. Lively averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in that stretch, whie recording a 70.2 field goal percentage.
On paper, once Irving gets healthy, the Mavericks starting lineup could be a dangerous one, especially if Flagg lives up to the hype.