Mavs’ No-Brainer: Cooper Flagg Caps Off Dallas’ Duke-Centric Blueprint/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick, bolstering their “Duke plan” strategy. Flagg joins Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II to form a trio of Duke alumni with high expectations. GM Nico Harrison emphasized both short-term championship goals and long-term development around Flagg.
DALLAS (AP) — General Manager Nico Harrison said he expected a mid-first-round pick—around No. 11—when preparing for last night’s NBA draft. But when luck struck and the Mavericks won the lottery with just a 1.8% chance, everything changed. Their follow-up move? A resounding no-brainer: taking Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.
Dallas’ strategy feels eerily familiar. Just over 24 hours earlier, the team secured Kyrie Irving—a former Duke standout and the No. 1 pick in 2011—with a lucrative contract extension. Now the Mavericks are rooting their foundation in “the Duke plan”: pairing one-and-done college stars from Duke with proven veterans.
Already on the roster is Dereck Lively II, selected 12th overall in 2023. Add Irving and Flagg, and Dallas is assembling three Duke alumniall in their first year of availability.
Flagg is Dallas’ second No. 1 pick ever, following Mark Aguirre in 1981. Unlike Aguirre—who was left stranded on an expansion team—Flagg joins a Mavericks squad already stacked with seasoned talent. Head Coach Jason Kidd, drafted second overall by Dallas in 1994, now presides over what is shaping up to become a dynasty-in-waiting.
Still, Harrison hasn’t abandoned the present for the future. The team’s strategy remains to “win now and win in the future.” With Irving’s new deal (three years, $119 million with a player option) secured, Dallas ensures experience while confronting the unknown: “Eventually, it’s going to be Cooper’s team,” Harrison admitted. “We don’t when that transition will happen.”
Flagg—a physical marvel at 6‑8 with top-end athleticism—fits the Dallas blueprint as a versatile, two-way threat. Harrison praised his defensive chops while maintaining they will let him develop on his own terms.
Originally slated to graduate high school this year, Flagg accelerated to Duke and led them to the Final Four—a remarkable leap for a teenager. He leaves Duke with high expectations and joins a veteran core.
When Dallas flipped Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis, many fans reacted with shock and outrage. But Harrison insisted nothing changed “Our immediate goal hasn’t shifted,” he recalled, “but the style of play has—with a bigger emphasis on defense.”
In retrospect, the lottery felt necessary to legitimize the vision: losing Doncic stung, but drafting Flagg restored faith in Dallas’ direction.
Dallas now stands on the cusp of building a championship team anchored in Duke-trained talent, seasoned veterans, and championship aspirations. Nico Harrison’s “Duke plan” has yielded no fewer than three players from Cameron Indoor, and each brings unique promise.
With Irving’s veteran leadership, Davis’ title pedigree, Lively’s interior defense, and Flagg’s burgeoning two-way brilliancethe Mavericks offer a striking contrast to the single-superstar era they just exited. They’re not just rebuilding—they’re reimagining, with a blueprint few could have predicted: a league where Duke isn’t just a college powerhouse, but the font of a new NBA dynasty.
Bottom line: The NBA’s draft-lottery gods smiled on Dallas. Harrison’s pivot from a projected No. 11 pick to securing Cooper Flagg as the first overall choice completes an engineered haul built around three Duke stars, proven veterans, and a renewed commitment to defense—even as they chase immediate success.
Let me know if you want a player-by-player breakdown of how Irving, Davis, Lively II, and Flagg could mesh next season.
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