Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg speaks to the media during a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavericks' Cooper Flagg has bold call-out for OKC Thunder

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 2:59 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks received a franchise-saving life raft when they landed the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in the Lottery, giving them the opportunity to select Cooper Flagg at the top of the board.

Now that Flagg is in Dallas, he's ready to get to work. He's already attended a few kids' camps in Dallas, been to a Dallas Wings game to watch Paige Bueckers, and is getting ready to play in the NBA Summer League, with Jason Kidd wanting to see him play point guard.

Before the Draft in June, The Athletic asked top prospects which matchup would be the toughest once they got into the NBA. Flagg, wasting no time in his response, named the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder as his toughest matchup, while most prospects were listing players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry.

"You know, I'll just say the Thunder, in general. They're young, they've got a lot of good pieces, so I think that's going to be a tough team to beat."

Who’s the toughest matchup for these NBA rookies?

“Giannis? Oh for sure. He won’t be my matchup. We good.” pic.twitter.com/lH8yIEhNRz
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 5, 2025

The Dallas Mavericks and OKC Thunder were setting up to be one of the NBA's best rivalries for the foreseeable future before the Mavs traded away Luka Doncic. 2024's Western Conference Semifinals were electric, and Dallas was one of only two teams to walk away from the regular season with a winning record against OKC. Dallas' frontcourt should be able to give OKC some issues, but they'll have to be nearly perfect to dethrone the champs.

OKC also has a lot of defenders they can throw at Flagg, especially until Kyrie Irving returns from his injury.

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

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