CHICAGO — Cooper Flagg was inevitably prepared for a variety of different outcomes on Monday night. As the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft, he was the focal point of the lottery, regardless of who won the top pick.
He may not have been prepared for Dallas.
The Mavericks entered the night with just a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery. When they emerged with the No. 1 selection, the camera cut to Flagg, who was in attendance. He didn’t say much in the moment — and that silence spoke volumes.
Most people watching noticed what one source described Flagg’s flat reaction. One person I spoke to this week described it as a “look of trepidation.” Flagg did not directly answer a question about the fit with the Mavs on ESPN’s broadcast shortly after the top pick was revealed.
Trepidation was understandable and it had little to do with the city of Dallas or its roster. The gut reaction centered around the impossible-to-miss narrative around the Mavs since maligned general manager Nico Harrison shipped off Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The idea that Harrison may be able to explain away an awful trade with the “See, we did this to get Cooper” line or implication is one the Flaggs presumably want nothing to do with.
By Wednesday, though, the tone had shifted.
Flagg spoke more openly about Dallas during his NBA Combine media availability and sounded genuinely enthusiastic about the pieces already in place. “As far as Dallas goes, they’ve got a lot of really good pieces,” he said. “(Dereck Lively) coming from Duke, that’s pretty cool. So, I think it would be a really cool opportunity.”
That reference to Lively wasn’t incidental — and it led at least one NBA executive to float a new thought: Would Dallas consider trying to acquire a second-round pick to target another former Blue Devil?
Tyrese Proctor, a fellow Australian and one of Flagg’s closest teammates at both Duke and Montverde Academy, is expected to be a second-round target. Dallas currently holds no picks beyond No. 1, but league sources believe the Mavs could be motivated to buy in if the right player is on the board. Proctor’s draft range is fluid, but there’s interest in him as a low-risk, development-friendly guard who can play on or off the ball. And he fits the timeline.
To be clear, no one is suggesting Flagg would ask for Proctor. But the idea of adding someone he already trusts — someone who fits Harrison’s publicly stated emphasis on two-way versatility — makes sense for a team with limited flexibility and a high-stakes rebranding ahead.