NBA – After securing the first pick in the lottery, Mavs fans’ huge fear about Cooper Flagg!

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

By securing the first pick in the upcoming draft, Dallas has virtually secured the services of prodigy Cooper Flagg. Can the power forward embody the future of the franchise? Nothing is less certain in the current climate… and that’s what worries fans.

What will the future of the Mavericks look like? The answer to this question remains particularly unclear, for now. The franchise has two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, but it’s uncertain how long they’ll stay, given that they’re already in their thirties. It seems unlikely they will be the ones leading the Texans in a decade.

In this regard, however, there is a very strong reason for hope since last night, the Mavs having caused an upset in the lottery. Despite having less than a 2% chance of succeeding, Dallas nevertheless grabbed the first pick in the next draft. In effect, this is equivalent to winning the phenom Cooper Flagg, heralded as the best player of his class as well as the possible revival of American basketball. Not bad.

The Mavericks’ first pick traded on draft night?

This is an unexpected situation for fans, who had taken a huge blow to morale since the Luka Doncic trade last February. Except that the excitement quickly gave way to fears of never seeing the young power forward represent the franchise. A worst-case scenario is already circulating according to which GM Nico Harrison could immediately trade Cooper Flagg, in order to obtain an available superstar:

@realapp : Rigged. Nico gonna trade #1 pick for Giannis. Bet?

@KevinWagstaff3 : Wonder how quick Nico can flip Flagg for Embiid?

@_therealdeal__ : Gonna be hilarious when Nico trades that pick for Giannis

@Dre186D : We all know Nico will trade the first pick 😂

As we know, the 2025 offseason following the draft promises to be particularly busy. Huge superstars could be traded, starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant, or even Joel Embiid, although the latter option seems less likely. And we know that Dallas has been linked to numerous rumors surrounding the Slim Reaper in recent months, including before the last trade deadline.

Since the franchise is based in Texas, it would also fit Giannis’s desire to play in a state where taxes are almost nonexistent. And knowing Nico Harrison, it wouldn’t be surprising if he used Flagg as a bargaining chip… which would be a real heartbreak for the franchise’s fans.