Should Dallas Mavericks Draft Cooper Flagg or Trade Pick for Proven Superstar?

The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery has concluded and it was one of the most interesting draft lotteries in recent memory. Three teams out of the top four landed a top-four pick, and a team with just a 1.8% chance at winning the lottery ended up winning it. The Dallas Mavericks have landed the number one pick and will have the opportunity to get a generational talent in Cooper Flagg.

Although they could draft the star prospect out of Duke, they could end up trading their top pick for a proven player in the NBA. Recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo has started to think about joining a different organization, and so with the Mavericks having young, productive talent in Dereck Lively II and basically Flagg, they have the ammunition to potentially land a superstar in Antetokounmpo.

Which is the better route for the Mavericks is the big question. Kyrie Irving will likely be out for the remainder of the calendar year, and with him being 33 years old currently and Anthony Davis being 32 years old, their timeline might not be on the same track as Flagg and more so on the same track as Antetokounmpo, who is 30 years old.

If they elect to draft Flagg and keep the 6-foot-9 forward, then they will be adding a special two-way talent that can be a valuable third scoring option while also being a defensive menace next to Davis and Lively. The Duke superstar is one of the most complete prospects in recent memory and it shows on the stat sheet as he led the Duke Blue Devils in every single major statistical category.

It would be a great opportunity for Flagg to play for the Mavericks as he won’t be forced into being the number one option right away and will be able to go through a rookie slump if needed. After trading away Luka Doncic, they gave away a lot of their future years, so adding Flagg would give them a future to look forward to.

Now, in the scenario this pick gets traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, we will see Flagg get an opportunity to be the top option and develop into that top scoring option for the Bucks. This would be a reset button for the Bucks and they would clearly have more trades to make especially with Damian Lillard likely out for the entire season after tearing his achilles.

On the other hand, a big three between Irving, Davis, and Antetokounmpo is certainly championship-level good. With Klay Thompson being able to still space the floor out they will have an older but a championship caliber squad. The 2025 NBA Draft will be on June 25th, so we have a little over a month left to see who ends up with the number one overall pick in this year’s draft.