Since before his freshman season at Duke, it was widely expected that Cooper Flagg would eventually become the No. 1 overall pick. Following a historic year—where he racked up a plethora of national awards and led his team in nearly every major statistical category—it’s now all but certain that he’ll be the first player to hear his name called on June 25 in Brooklyn.
Shockingly, the Dallas Mavericks, who entered the NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick, did exactly that—securing the No. 1 selection just months after trading franchise star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, with a few weeks until draft night, anticipation is building for the Mavericks to make the expected move and select Flagg as the new face of their franchise. On Sunday, intriguing news emerged that adds even more fuel to that expectation.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Flagg is scheduled to visit Dallas on June 17—just a week before the draft—for a private meeting with the organization. This follows his first official visit with the Mavericks, and Charania all but confirmed that Flagg is set to be their pick.
Cooper Flagg plans to have a private visit with the Mavericks in Dallas on June 17, sources tell ESPN. One week after his first official Mavs visit, Flagg is set to be Dallas' No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on June 25. pic.twitter.com/hznGD60Kch
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 8, 2025
This report effectively shuts down any lingering speculation about Dallas possibly packaging the No. 1 pick in a blockbuster trade for a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Flagg, who hails from a small town in Maine, admitted he was surprised when the Mavericks landed the top pick but also expressed genuine excitement about the possibility of being drafted by Dallas.
“I saw the teams just like everybody else, but I feel like it was kind of a crazy sequence of events,” Flagg said at the NBA Draft Combine. “I was surprised like a lot of people.”
“They’ve got a lot of really good pieces—D-Live from Duke. That’s pretty cool,” Flagg added. “I think it’ll be a really good opportunity.”
In addition to Dereck Lively II, another Duke product, the Mavericks also have Kyrie Irving, a former Blue Devil himself. If drafted, Flagg would be joining both of them—alongside Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson—instantly forming a formidable core that could make Dallas a serious contender right away.
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The talk of the offseason for the Los Angeles Chargers has been centered around their offense. The new pieces they've put in place will hopefully take pressure off of Ladd McConkey, who carried the offense the majority of his rookie season. The Chargers may have done it again, selecting a solid group of draftees eager to make an impact in year one. Omarion Hampton and Tre Harris have been receiving most of the buzz. KeAndre Lambert-Smith has also made waves, as he's taken advantage of his opportunities thus far following the retirement of Mike Williams. There's one sneaky good newcomer that could be better than most expect: Oronde Gadsden II. The former receiver-turned-tight-end had a coming out party last season at Syracuse, catching 73 passes for 934 yards and seven touchdowns. The Chargers were able to grab him in the fifth round, adding Gadsden to a revamped tight end room that included veteran Tyler Conklin. It seems that Gadsden has been doing more than expected during his first training camp, as he put a move on superstar safety Derwin James to get open for a catch on a seam route. "Rookie Oronde Gadsden showed up again Friday as he pulled off a double move in team drills that earned him a catch down the seam against Derwin James, Jr. Gadsden, a fifth-round rookie from Syracuse, later ran a smooth route on a deep cross to pick up an explosive play through the air." If Gadsden can be a solid contributor as a rookie, the Chargers would be ecstatic with that immediate payoff.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Richard Childress is standing by his driver after a controversial move in the closing laps of Saturday's Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Austin Hill, driver of the No. 21 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, appeared to hook Aric Almirola on Lap 91 after Almirola had gotten Hill loose in the previous corner. In recent years, NASCAR has set a precedent that right-hooking a fellow driver at speed is grounds for a suspension, though their failure to do so with Austin Cindric at COTA in March or with Austin Dillon at Richmond in August 2024 drew scrutiny. Unsurprisingly, Childress doesn't think Hill should have to sit out the Aug. 2 race at Iowa Speedway. "Hell no," Childress said when asked if he believed Hill should have to sit for a week. "They didn't do a damn thing to the 2 car (Cindric) when he wrecked Ty (Dillon, Childress' grandson) and admitted to it, drove him in the right-rear and wrecked him at COTA. It's who you are. We're a blue-collar team, they (NASCAR) give us trouble all the time." Hill was given a five-lap penalty for reckless driving and finished the race in 34th.
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