NEW YORKLess than five months after sending one away, the Dallas Mavericks may have unearthed their next franchise superstar in Cooper Flagg.
The 18-year-old from Maine, who won collegiate player of the year in his only season, was selected by the Mavericks with the first overall pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night.
When Dallas dealt Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 1, Mavericks supporters were incensed, with some threatening to stop supporting the team right away.
Flagg, who led Duke to the Final Four and averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, may easily win over the fans who stayed. Flagg’s wearing number 32 in Dallas was swiftly announced by the Mavericks.
He was drafted first among Duke players since 1999, joining Elton Brand, Kyrie Irving (who is currently his teammate), Zion Williamson, and Paolo Banchero. He also brought the draft back to its historic beginning with a one-and-done collegiate player.
From 2010 until Banchero’s selection in 2022, the draft started in same manner each year; however, the final two No. 1 picks, Victor Wembanyama and Zaccherie Risacher, are both French.
The Spurs selected Dylan Harper, a freshman from Rutgers, with the second overall pick. Harper will attempt to give San Antonio a third consecutive NBA Rookie of the Year, following Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
VJ Edgecombe of Baylor was next selected by the 76ers, eliciting the first prolonged round of raucous applause of the draft from what appeared to be a sizable contingent of Philadelphia supporters who traveled to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The No. 3 pick was the first one where there was any excitement, although the first two picks had long been anticipated.
The Charlotte Hornets selected Kon Knueppel at No. 4, making it two Duke players in the first four selections. Ace Bailey, who could have gone third but chose not to train with the 76ers, ended up going to Utah at number five.
Before the host Nets selected BYU’s Egor Demin at No. 8, Brooklyn’s first of possibly five selections in the first round, Tre Johnson of Texas was selected by the Washington Wizards at No. 6 and Jeremiah Fears of Oklahoma was selected by New Orleans at No. 7.
Collin Murray-Boyles of South Carolina was selected by Toronto at number nine, while Duke big man Khaman Maluach completed the top ten. Maluach was selected by the Houston Rockets but is going to Phoenix as part of the Kevin Durant trade, which cannot be finalized until next month.
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