By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Cooper Flagg was certainly expecting to be picked by the Dallas Mavericks with the first overall selection of the 2025 NBA Draft presented by State Farm, but not the first question in the post-draft press conference.
Right off the bat, the 18-year-old winger was asked about conspiracy theories falsely accusing the league of rigging the annual NBA Draft Lottery to compensate the Mavs for trading Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the 2024-25 Regular Season.
“No. I don’t know what to say about that,” he responded, visibly surprised by the opening question of the media session on Wednesday evening, “I have no insider information, if that’s what you’re looking for. But I just feel blessed for the way it all worked out.”
The Texas organization won the lottery in May, despite having only a 1.8% chance for the top pick. The intriguing lucky break converted the only available pick of the Mavericks into the first spot and, expectedly, eventually ended up with the former Duke standout. Flagg has been widely considered the successor of Doncic at Dallas.
Beyond officially selecting the native of Maine, the front office of the Mavericks has been focusing on general preparations for the 2025-26 Regular Season, with Jason Kidd confirmed once more as the returning head coach of the franchise.
“Is that still out there about Jason Kidd? I thought I shut that down,” wondered general manager Nico Harrison, “He will be the coach next year.”