CHICAGO — The ping-pong balls have spoken: Cooper Flagg might be headed to Dallas to start his NBA career.
And a fan base that lost Luka Doncic this season might have a new star to cheer for.
The Dallas Mavericks emerged as the winners of the NBA draft lottery, securing the highly coveted No. 1 pick for the upcoming draft. This top selection grants them the opportunity to choose Flagg, the talented freshman from Duke University who played a key role in leading his team to the Final Four during his inaugural college season.
Against all odds, Dallas defied the improbable 1.8% chance of winning the lottery, prevailing in the end. Despite facing skepticism after trading away Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers following their appearance in the NBA Finals last season, the Mavericks left Chicago triumphant with the number one pick.
Following Dallas, the San Antonio Spurs, known for their consecutive Rookie of the Year players in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, secured the second pick. Philadelphia and Charlotte will have the third and fourth picks, respectively, in the upcoming draft.
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to the Final Four in his lone college season. He shot 48% from the field, 39% from 3-point range, 84% from the foul line and was The Associated Press’ national player of the year.
And he’s had success against NBA players already. Last summer, when the U.S. Olympic team was holding its training camp in Las Vegas in advance of the Paris Games – where the Americans won gold yet again – Flagg was part of the select team brought in to scrimmage against the Olympians.
Flagg, who was 17 years old at the time, more than held his own in those workouts.
Utah will pick fifth, Washington sixth, New Orleans seventh, Brooklyn eighth, Toronto ninth, Houston 10th, Portland 11th, Chicago 12th, Atlanta 13th and San Antonio 14th.
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