Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates after a basket during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

ESPN NBA analyst believes Mavericks should trade Cooper Flagg pick for superstar

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated May 13, 2025 3:40 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks were gifted a golden opportunity on Monday night when they won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery despite having 1.8% odds to do so. This gives them a lot of options to try and win a title as soon as possible.

The easy (and correct) choice would be to select Cooper Flagg out of Duke, who is on the shortlist of generational prospects to come out in the last decade or so. But there are some people who think the Mavericks should entertain trading the pick for a star now.

ESPN's Jay Williams, who was a former 2nd overall pick out of Duke in 2002, believes the Mavericks should trade the pick, or at least explore it.

"A guy like Cooper Flagg, he needs reps, I think he needs a lot of room to grow, I'm not sure championships aspirations right away for him [help]. Now, the basketball part of loves the thought of AD, Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively II in the [frontcourt]. But when I look at the value, could you potentially package someone like this and get a Giannis [Antetokounmpo],... a Devin Booker,... a Tyrese Maxey? If your championship window is in 2-3 years, could you utilize that pick and some assets and get somebody who is ready to contribute right now with the pressure in the West?"

Jay Williams says the Mavericks should consider trading the No. 1 pick for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, or Tyrese Maxey

( @GetUpESPN )

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As the others pointed out on the show, Nico Harrison has been under a ton of pressure because he traded away Luka Doncic, but he's now been gifted a chance to redeem his mistakes.

The Mavericks also don't have a lot of salary matches to go get a superstar like Giannis without completely gutting the team or giving up someone like Anthony Davis. Most fans would probably welcome a Davis/Antetokounmpo swap, but they'd likely have to give up more first-round picks than they got in the Luka Doncic trade more than likely. It's best for the organization to just stick and pick Cooper Flagg.

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

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