Lakers LeBron James reacts to Mavericks landing No. 1 pick, expected to select Duke’s Cooper Flagg.
The NBA Draft is just over a month away, and on Monday night, the lottery teams finally learned their draft positions. Heading into the evening, the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards held the highest odds of landing the first overall pick.
Typically, when the No. 1 pick is at stake, a team has multiple prospects to consider. However, this year, there’s a clear favorite: Duke’s Cooper Flagg, who has taken the basketball world by storm since his senior year of high school. Flagg validated the hype during his lone season at Duke, showcasing his potential at the next level.
Even analysts have changed their stance on him.
“I wasn’t sure Cooper Flagg could be a guy you could build an NBA franchise around … until this past season at Duke. His ceiling is that of a Top 5–10 player in the league,” Jeff Goodman said.
Although Goodman now believes Flagg is a franchise-caliber player, it appears he won’t be joining a rebuilding team. Instead, he’s expected to land on a veteran-heavy roster. The Dallas Mavericks defied the odds to win the first overall pick, despite having just a 1.8% chance.
“The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Draft lottery Monday night, giving them the No. 1 pick in June’s draft and the chance to take Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks entered the lottery with only a 1.8% chance of winning the first pick — the fourth-lowest odds for a lottery winner in NBA history,” Rohan NadKarni wrote.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 12, 2025
Barring any surprises, Flagg is expected to begin his NBA journey in Dallas. Not only will he join an experienced roster, but he could also be in position to contend for a championship as early as his rookie year.
