May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; Duke players R-L Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel,and Khaman Maluach. during the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg's family gets brutally honest about Dallas Mavericks

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 4:45 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks have to wait just one more day before they can officially welcome Cooper Flagg to the organization. He's already seen as a franchise savior. The team's fanbase has been up in arms since the Luka Doncic trade, but landing the top pick on 1.8% chance has brought season ticket holders and sponsorships back in.

Flagg held his composure when the Mavericks won the Lottery, as he was told to do by his family, but they had never even considered Dallas, so he didn't know how to feel.

ESPN's Baxter Holmes released an article on Tuesday, detailing the Flaggs' thought process as they tried to talk themselves into reasons to like the teams likeliest to win the Lottery: the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Utah Jazz.

"Washington was a short flight from Maine and North Carolina -- the two states where the family split their time. Charlotte offered the same, plus it had a built-in fan base for Duke alums, they said. And Utah was helmed by Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, who played for the 1980s Boston Celtics teams that Cooper's parents admired so much and introduced their sons to at a young age."

But there was one thing they couldn't get past, according to Holmes. "Like so many top prospects, Flagg had never endured sustained losing at any level, and almost regardless of his rookie-year performance, he was almost certainly about to do so. And though he long maintained that he "just wanted to hoop" anywhere, those around him say they harbored concerns about how the ultra-competitive prospect would adjust emotionally to such a dynamic."

Flagg's father, Ralph, even admitted that it was something they discussed. So when Dallas won the Lottery, they didn't know how to react.

"Dallas wasn't even on our bingo card," Ralph told Holmes. Duke coach Jon Scheyer called it a "dream spot" for Flagg to learn and develop from two perennial All-Stars in Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis and be competitive right away.

The Flaggs started to feel the same later after the Lottery, especially when Scheyer told Cooper Flagg that Mavs center Dereck Lively II is one of the best guys he's ever been around and similar to Khaman Maluach, who played at Duke with Flagg. And Cooper Flagg loved being around Maluach.

The Flaggs did see all of the backlash the team received from the Doncic trade, but they saw it as a strength of the fanbase, as one who really cares about the team. "They are a very passionate fan base," Ralph said to ESPN, "and I think from what we understand and what we've seen on social media, they're ready to fully embrace Cooper."

Cooper Flagg could be the exact turn of luck the franchise needed after February's horrific trade.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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