Cooper Flagg Reportedly Made 'Favorable 1st Impression' During Mavs Pre-Draft Visit
Cooper Flagg won't officially be a member of the Dallas Mavericks until the NBA draft on June 25, but he is reportedly already making quite the first impression on his future team.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Wednesday that Flagg spent part of Tuesday and Wednesday with members of the Mavericks, including head coach Jason Kidd and general manager Nico Harrison.
The pre-draft visit included dinner, an on-court workout and a visit to American Airlines Center, and the Duke product "made a very favorable first impression."
While the "favorable impression" is surely welcome news for the Mavericks and their fans, the meeting largely feels like a formality at this point.
Flagg has been widely considered the surefire No. 1 pick since before his one season at Duke ended, and that certainly wasn't going to change when Dallas won the draft lottery. If anything, it created a golden opportunity for the franchise that just traded away Luka Dončić to select its next franchise cornerstone.
About the only thing that could stand in the way of the Mavericks making the Blue Devils star the top pick would be a trade, but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen.
"This should be a quiet draft process for Cooper Flagg," B/R's Jonathan Wasserman wrote in his latest mock draft. "Unless the Dallas Mavericks plan to engage the Milwaukee Bucks in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas will presumably be the only team Flagg meets with before June 25."
Any No. 1 pick will enter the league with high expectations, but Dallas surely expects Flagg to be a significant contributor right away since Kyrie Irving will be sidelined for the start of the 2025-26 campaign as he recovers from a torn ACL.
While Anthony Davis may remain the focal point in the attack, Flagg figures to consistently have the ball in his hands as something of a point forward.
The Mavericks surely observed his ability to handle such responsibilities in the latest workout, and all indications are that Flagg is ready for the NBA level.
If he lives up to those sky-high expectations, the Mavericks could be contenders in the Western Conference as soon as next season.
