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Since high school, it’s long been assumed that Cooper Flagg would be the top selection of this year’s NBA Draft. Now he knows where he (likely) will be heading.
The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Draft lottery on Monday, meaning they currently own the first overall selection.
Dallas had an 8.5% chance to pick top-four and a 1.8% to win the lottery.
The Mavs’ season turned into turmoil when they traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, prompting fan hatred to general manager Nico Harrison, who needed heightened security throughout the rest of the season.
But all of a sudden, all seems OK in Dallas.
The Utah Jazz, with an NBA-worst 17-65 record, had the best odds at the top pick, but they dropped all the way to No. 5. Utah has never selected No. 1 nor have they ever improved their draft standing. Since the NBA changed its lottery system in 2019, the team with the best odds has never selected first.
Flagg heightened his own expectations by declaring for Duke in high school, and then he lived up to the billing.
Flagg led Duke this season in almost every statistical category, including points (709), rebounds (278), assists (155), steals (52) and blocks per game (1.4). He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, but his best showing was in January when he set an ACC freshman record with a 42-point performance against Notre Dame.
Flagg closed out a phenomenal year with a semifinal appearance in the NCAA men’s tournament and was named the winner of the 2025 Naismith Player of the Year Award, becoming just the fourth freshman to be named its recipient, along with Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson.
His Blue Devils lost a late lead against Houston, who returned the favor to Florida in the national championship.
The NBA Draft takes place on June 25, which is when Flagg will know for sure where he’ll be heading.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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