Cooper Flagg became the sixth Duke Blue Devil to be drafted with the No. 1 overall pick last night, as the rookie phenom was taken with the top pick by the Dallas Mavericks. However, with all of the turmoil and chaos that's surrounded that front office over the last few months, pressure is now on the newest Dallas Maverick to make Dallas fans forget about that time altogether.
Luke Dončić seemed like the successor to Dirk Nowitzki, a player who would be the star of the franchise and one of the NBA's biggest stars for decades to come. Then, the most shocking and possibly the worst trade in NBA history happened when Nico Harrison decided to ship Dončić to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis out of nowhere.
The deal was a complete shock to nearly everybody in the NBA community, and the city of Dallas almost erupted in flames. Dončić led the Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance in 2024 and was arguably the best player in the NBA. After the trade went down, Harrison became the most hated figure in Dallas.
After later injuries to Davis and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks' season was over, and many thought the same for Harrison's job. Then, the NBA Draft Lottery happened, and Dallas made the biggest jump in lottery history to the first overall selection, giving the franchise the rights to draft a generational prospect in Flagg.
So, what will Flagg have to accomplish to wipe away the memory of Dončić in a Dallas uniform?
The good news for Flagg is, he's entering a situation that's ready to win now. With the addition of Flagg, Dallas has a complete unit that could push to be a top four to five seed in the West next season. With great frontcourt depth in PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II, Davis, and recently extended Daniel Gafford, mixed with young talent and experienced vets at the guard positions, adding Flagg makes Dallas dangerous. The only knock is Kyrie Irving will miss a good part of next season with a torn ACL, but the Mavs could still be a powerful offensive team even in his absence.
In six full seasons with Dallas, Dončić averaged 27.7 points per game or more in five of them on at least 45.7% shooting from the field. He's also averaged at least 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in all six campaigns. In his time with the franchise, the Mavericks went to the playoffs four times, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2022 and an NBA Finals appearance in 2024. Doncic has also made five All-Star appearances.
So, for Flagg to erase Dončić's memory from Mavs fans, does he have to be a top three to five player in the NBA at one point? That is the most likely case. Now, winning fixes everything, so Flagg doesn't have to be the scoring leader that Doncic was if he's contributing to winning in other ways. However, the Mavericks need to be consistently competitive in Flagg's tenure to ultimately make Dallas fans turn the other cheek to him.
Flagg has the potential and skillset to be one of the best players in the NBA in the coming years, but the former Blue Devil has some big shoes to fill in Dallas.