Rich Paul: Mavs Will Keep Pick, There Will Be No Trade, And It’ll Be Best Thing For Cooper Flagg

With that pick, they are widely expected to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg.

“There’ll be no trade, I think the Mavs take him, and I think it’s the right thing for the kid,” Paul said on the Pat McAfee Show. “Obviously, there are some (opposing) teams that would love to have him. But I think when you look at Cooper Flagg, look at where he’s at today, his ability to develop next to guys like (Anthony Davis) and (Dereck Lively) and a (Kyrie Irving) once he’s back, I think it helps him.”

The Mavs had a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery after making it to the Play-In Tournament following the Luka Doncic trade. Rolando Blackmon told ESPN that Flagg “can hoop.”

Paul added that a veteran team should only assist Flagg’s development.

“Oftentimes, guys go No. 1 and we put so many expectations on these young players, and that’s not really realistic,” Paul said. “This allows him to develop on a real timeline. He gets to play through mistakes without all the pressure being on him and expecting him to get 25-30 points a game. That’s not realistic. … So I think this will be a great environment for him.”

Paul is the founder of Klutch Sports Agency, a native of Cleveland, and represents stars such as LeBron James, Davis, Draymond Green, Darius Garland, and many others.