Zachary Klement said:

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🔥HUGE!🔥

ESPN’s Tim McMahon reports that the Dallas Mavericks WILL be picking Cooper Flagg as the #1 pick in the NBA Draft in June.

There had been speculation that the Mavericks might trade the pick in pursuit of an established superstar.

pic.twitter.com/Ex5SlB6T91

— Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸🐊 (@CryptidPolitics) May 13, 2025

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Really glad he took away the suspense.

Hell yes

I'd at least take trade offers for AD this summer, but there's no way they will. They are going to run this back + Flagg and hope it remains healthy. Then evaluate next offseason depending on how things played out. But to build a sustained contender, he needs to be on the trading block sooner vs later

They will probably make significant, but not blockbuster moves to bolster the current roster for a run. The team really needs ball handling/playmaking while Kyrie is out and then secondary playmaking off Kyrie after he returns.

Like MC said earlier, PJ is probably redundant on the team now. As much as I love PJ, if you can package him with another guy or two and another pick to get a good guard then you do something like that.

Who knows, maybe they convince AD to play more 5 and they think Flagg/PJ/AD is their primary/closing frontline. Then you look to trade Gafford for another guard. I just think it would be a bad move to trade Gafford since you'll probably go significant time without AD and/or Lively at some point.

Yeah, you 100% have to consider your lineup without AD available, because he's not going to be a lot

Same for Lively, sadly.

I'd trade Gafford over PJ. PJ has proven to be credible almost 1-4 now, but def 2-4.

I love Gaff, but we're fine with AD and Lively.

shack009 said:

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Who knows, maybe they convince AD to play more 5 and they think Flagg/PJ/AD is their primary/closing frontline. Then you look to trade Gafford for another guard. I just think it would be a bad move to trade Gafford since you'll probably go significant time without AD and/or Lively at some point.

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That's crazy talk. We have sooo many bigs. Why in the world would we need to keep so many on the roster? It's not like they'll all be needed.

Our roster is a terrible fit for Flagg, especially with AD *****ing about playing the 5. We should definitely trade AD for a good ball handler plus some ppicks and let Flagg grow up with Lively. There is no way Nico does it, but our roster would actually be good if we could trade AD for a good guard and some picks.

I see Flagg as more valuable as a small 4 than a big 3 (but I'm assuming he will play both). But either way, I think trading AD makes the most sense and gives us some picks for the future. I'd also be willing to trade PJ/Gafford as well. Essentially, anyone but Lively and Flagg should be on the table.

But I know that's just a pipe dream.

awrollins said:

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Infection_Ag11 said:

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shack009 said:

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The Nico jokes need to stop now. The trade included the #1 pick in this draft, but Nico was the only one allowed to know that until now.

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Cooper Flagg in the best case scenario still isn't Luka. He may very well end up being a 25/10/5 player but he simply can never be the type of singular ball dominant terror Luka is. And his defense is also suspect as well.

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This was a couple of pages ago but felt it was a take that needed to be talked about.

Cooper Flagg is the best defensive prospect in the draft. He's a 6'9 F who can hold his own 1-5 while also being one of the best help defenders (both length-wise and an incredible BBIQ) that the draft has ever seen. Combine that with a very high motor and extreme competitiveness and desire-to-win, and you have a no-doubt defensive star.

Cooper's questions are his handle, not generational athleticism, and MAYBE his jump-shot, but to say his defense is suspect is just wrong.

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His on ball defense was well below the national average, both overall and for his position. He had exceptional paint defensive metrics because he got to float as essentially a full time help defender the way Duke used him and he blocked/altered a ton of shots. He led the nation in blocks as a help defender. But when teams were able to isolate him as a perimeter defender he got picked on.

zgolfz85 said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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Aggie Dad 26 said:

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shack009 said:

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Aggie Dad 26 said:

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So assuming it's Flagg. Dallas gets one season of, Flagg, Irving, Davis, and Thompson, right?

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Davis is under contract through 2028 (player option for 27-28 which he will surely opt in to). Klay has 2 more years left. Kyrie has a player option for this upcoming season. I would imagine Kyrie opts out and signs another 3-year (2+1) deal to run concurrent with AD's deal.

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Interesting. Thanks

I'm curious if Dallas tries to hold on to this group amd if so, how long. If it were me, I'd be looking to build around Flagg and probably dump all or most of those old heads.

Devin Booker?

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Yea i feel like they were gifted an incredible chance to redo this team. PJ is now an obvious trade candidate and I'd honestly be shopping AD to a team like Houston who have assets to spend with a desire to compete.

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Why blow it up now? With Flagg, we'd be a short term contender too once Kyrie is back

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This team has to add another high end ball dominant guard and then pray Kyrie is still Kyrie when he gets back before any mention of title contention can be made.

Infection_Ag11 said:

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zgolfz85 said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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Aggie Dad 26 said:

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shack009 said:

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Aggie Dad 26 said:

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So assuming it's Flagg. Dallas gets one season of, Flagg, Irving, Davis, and Thompson, right?

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Davis is under contract through 2028 (player option for 27-28 which he will surely opt in to). Klay has 2 more years left. Kyrie has a player option for this upcoming season. I would imagine Kyrie opts out and signs another 3-year (2+1) deal to run concurrent with AD's deal.

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Interesting. Thanks

I'm curious if Dallas tries to hold on to this group amd if so, how long. If it were me, I'd be looking to build around Flagg and probably dump all or most of those old heads.

Devin Booker?

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Yea i feel like they were gifted an incredible chance to redo this team. PJ is now an obvious trade candidate and I'd honestly be shopping AD to a team like Houston who have assets to spend with a desire to compete.

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Why blow it up now? With Flagg, we'd be a short term contender too once Kyrie is back

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This team has to add another high end ball dominant guard and then pray Kyrie is still Kyrie when he gets back before any mention of title contention can be made.

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get chris paul and another cheap guard to tide us over. we can stay playoff relevant until Kyrie comes back for a run.

Infection_Ag11 said:

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awrollins said:

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Infection_Ag11 said:

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shack009 said:

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The Nico jokes need to stop now. The trade included the #1 pick in this draft, but Nico was the only one allowed to know that until now.

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Cooper Flagg in the best case scenario still isn't Luka. He may very well end up being a 25/10/5 player but he simply can never be the type of singular ball dominant terror Luka is. And his defense is also suspect as well.

---

This was a couple of pages ago but felt it was a take that needed to be talked about.

Cooper Flagg is the best defensive prospect in the draft. He's a 6'9 F who can hold his own 1-5 while also being one of the best help defenders (both length-wise and an incredible BBIQ) that the draft has ever seen. Combine that with a very high motor and extreme competitiveness and desire-to-win, and you have a no-doubt defensive star.

Cooper's questions are his handle, not generational athleticism, and MAYBE his jump-shot, but to say his defense is suspect is just wrong.

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His on ball defense was well below the national average, both overall and for his position. He had exceptional paint defensive metrics because he got to float as essentially a full time help defender the way Duke used him and he blocked/altered a ton of shots. He led the nation in blocks as a help defender. But when teams were able to isolate him as a perimeter defender he got picked on.

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and he's also barely 18. the dude has a LOT of runway for development, on both sides of the ball.

mavsfan4ever said:

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Our roster is a terrible fit for Flagg, especially with AD *****ing about playing the 5. We should definitely trade AD for a good ball handler plus some ppicks and let Flagg grow up with Lively. There is no way Nico does it, but our roster would actually be good if we could trade AD for a good guard and some picks.

I see Flagg as more valuable as a small 4 than a big 3 (but I'm assuming he will play both). But either way, I think trading AD makes the most sense and gives us some picks for the future. I'd also be willing to trade PJ/Gafford as well. Essentially, anyone but Lively and Flagg should be on the table.

But I know that's just a pipe dream.

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I have no issue trading away AD. I have zero faith his body will hold up when it matters.

Paul, Tyus Jones, and Schroder are guys I'm looking at. Also Markelle Fultz and Davion Mitchell are RFAs and Ajay Mitchell has a team option.

The mavs still have to get a ballhandler somehow this offseason. I dont even know where they look to fill that position but its an urgent need

Yep, would much rather roll with Lively, Gafford, snd PJ and dangle AD for on ball help

Chris Paul is the biggest ***** in the league. Dude needs to start collecting his ss checks

rsf0626 said:

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The mavs still have to get a ballhandler somehow this offseason. I dont even know where they look to fill that position but its an urgent need

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It's like y'all don't even Brandon Williams.

NoahAg said:

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rsf0626 said:

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The mavs still have to get a ballhandler somehow this offseason. I dont even know where they look to fill that position but its an urgent need

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It's like y'all don't even Brandon Williams.

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True, very bullish on this kid, as a backup

Not to mention how NO got AD right after losing Chris Paul, or how Cleveland got multiple #1 picks after LeBron left.

To those still ignoring the smoke: does it really make sense for an multi-billion dollar industry which relies heavily on revenue from viewership to allow random chance to dictate its product?

DANManman said:

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Not to mention how NO got AD right after losing Chris Paul, or how Cleveland got multiple #1 picks after LeBron left.

To those still ignoring the smoke: does it really make sense for an multi-billion dollar industry which relies heavily on revenue from viewership to allow random chance to dictate its product?

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It's even worse with this one. The league owned the team and couldn't find an owner for like 2 years. Then they finally sold it to a new owner who immediately got gifted AD. Like within a couple months. Nothing fishy there at all.

DANManman said:

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Not to mention how NO got AD right after losing Chris Paul, or how Cleveland got multiple #1 picks after LeBron left.

To those still ignoring the smoke: does it really make sense for an multi-billion dollar industry which relies heavily on revenue from viewership to allow random chance to dictate its product?

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So all the team reps and journalists that are there to witness it are in on it?

Is the filming done after wards or before?

Bro the Spurs are batting at a Hall of Fame clip for getting the 1/1 when eligible for the lottery and have never moved down. Maybe sit this one out.

Yes, a multibillion dollar entertainment industry leaves its product to chance, that's far more logical.

Hey, believe what you want. Far more shady things have occurred in companies with less revenue at stake.

DANManman said:

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Hey, believe what you want. Far more shady things have occurred in companies with less revenue at stake.

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So why film it and have journalists there and broadcast it and hire E&Y to certify that it is done correctly and randomly?

The most famous riggings are for San Antonio and New Orleans? Why prop those franchises with poor fanbases and no TV market?

The new owners got AD AFTER they bought it, so there was no league incentive for it. If they got AD before they bought the team, they could charge more. NBA kind of sucks at doing that.

Ewing envelope was definitely frozen, though.

E&Y has had its own shady dealings.

When Jontay Porter was banned (big loss, I know), Silver said something to the effect of "people can't lose faith in the fairness of the league," I believe.

The answer to your question is so people like you would push back on conspiracy theory talks.

It's not even that big a deal. It's just sports, anyway.

I love conspiracy theories. I study them in depth for fun. But how many people have to be in on this when they are doing a lottery drawing publicly?

If we couldn't watch it for ourselves, that is a different story. How are they rigging it? You can watch it - what point are the balls rigged?

If it is David Stern pulling an envelope out of a bingo tumbler he took from the Knights of Columbus, that's another thing.

And why rig it for San Antonio and New Orleans?

Why not rig it for Chicago, LA, NY, Brooklyn, etc?

Again, because perception is reality. It can't be too, too obvious. There would be no point in owning a smaller franchise if they all would forever stay in the basement.

Just ignoring all past apparent controversies, does it really make more sense that:

A group of billionaires care more about "fairness" than making money, only when it comes to sports (despite making billion-dollar purchases of franchises)?

A guy whose previous job was literally marketing athletes somehow missed how marketable his franchise superstar was (despite copious advertising across the metroplex pointing to the contrary)?

The same guy not only trades said young star for an aging one (who, let's call a spade a spade, isn't nearly as marketable), who often gets injured (with the exception of the last few years), and in fact was out at the time with an injury, over "conditioning concerns," but does so to receive an underwhelming package in return, far below what was considered market value, at the cost of the reputation of him and the franchise he works for, just to be nice to his old pal in LA (which just so happens to be one of the two largest media markets in the US)?

And finally, that the team of this same guy, which previously had never even moved up in the lottery before (but also just so happens to be in a large media market), somehow defied the worst non-zero odds to land the #1 overall pick?

The disbelief can only be stretched so much. If this was a movie plot, it'd be too unbelievable for the Hallmark channel.

To be fair, the Mavericks are the fourth (soon to be third) biggest NBA market. By 2030, aka Flagg's prime, the DFW NBA market will only be surpassed by the New York and LA markets. And because nobody watches the Clippers or Nets, the reality is the Mavericks will have the third largest local fanbase in the sport forever going forward. The Mavericks are already the sixth most popular team OVERALL nationally by the NBA's own metrics they use to determine that.

But that being said, of course it's not ACTUALLY rigged. That would not be kept a secret for more than 20 minutes and it would ruin the league forever. Nobody in a position of authority is gonna sacrifice the legacy and future of $150 billion league to give the Dallas Mavericks Cooper Flagg.

The fact that teams in the top 5 media markets so rarely get a #1 pick while teams outside top 20 markets do does not help the conspiracy angle at all. Brooklyn dropped to 8 while SA and Charlotte got 2&4.

And Daryl Morey has ****ed up a ton of stuff including relationships in China, but he just got a top 3 pick while openly and shamelessly tanking? And that pick is probably kind of meaningless unless Ace is a confirmed knee donor for embiid.

You can find great narratives for the conspiracy and just as easily you can find the places it makes no sense.

Guitarsoup said:

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Why not rig it for Chicago, LA, NY, Brooklyn, etc?

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It has been rigged for Chicago (Rose) and NY (Ewing) in the past.

I'll get off the pulpit after this and another reply, but as a GM, making that trade, losing money for your own company, and disparaging the beloved player you blindsided with a trade multiple times (as a guy who persuaded star athletes to JOIN his company in his previous job), and thereby further tarnishing the rep of your company, is not just ineptitude but full-on career suicide, unless you're incentivized to do these things.

Seeing all of these things happen as a company owner yet RETAINING the employee who did these things makes absolutely no sense, unless, again, you're incentivized to do so.

None of these moves are logical to do as a company, but they are sensational (and therefore profitable) for an entertainment industry.

It would be if there were NDAs involved.

At the end of the day, we don't care THAT much about the "fairness" of the sports, and moneymakers know this. Otherwise, the Olympics would still be all-amateur, the NFL and combat sports would've been dissolved once the public learned about CTE, and we would've boycotted the NBA when we learned LeBron had surgery to remove a growth in his jaw. As White Goodman from Dodgeball once said, "don't let me think! I just want to be entertained."

And that's not directed towards you in particular. You probably haven't posted stuff nearly as dumb as I have in the past on this site. It's just the truth for the public in general. We want to believe that we believe in "reasonably" fair play.