The Dallas Mavericks lucked into a unique scenario after drafting Cooper Flagg, although there’s no guarantee that they will capitalize on it.
When the Dallas Mavericks landed the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, their plans were immediately put in a tailspin, likely for the better. After trading away Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Nico Harrison announced a three-season title window built around aging stars Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson.
Now Cooper Flagg has shockingly arrived, and he seems to be ready to win both now and in the long-term future. It’s not often teams with title hopes, even distant ones, land the top pick, although it has happened before.
Former Dynasties Have Laid Blueprint for Mavericks
In 1978-79, the Los Angeles Lakers went 47-35, a respectable record. Thanks to an earlier trade, they managed to draft Magic Johnson first overall, and would go on to win five titles.
The San Antonio Spurs, after David Robinson missed almost an entire season, lucked into drafting Tim Duncan first overall, who also won five rings.
Both the Spurs and Lakers brought in a win-now rookie to an established core, unlike the Spurs of the present with Victor Wembanyama or the OKC Thunder, who had to tank to round out their young core with second overall pick Chet Holmgren in 2022, and he then missed his rookie season, allowing them to amass even more talent.
The Mavericks, with three future Hall of Fame players, need to follow the Spurs and Lakers of the past, although Harrison will have to swallow his pride.
When he touted his new-look, post-Luka Mavericks as title contenders, he was happily willing to hand the keys to the franchise to Davis. Now, Davis must do what Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did and slot into a bit of a supporting role, allowing Flagg to quickly take on a starring role.
Yes, there will be some growing pains. Flagg is 18, and Johnson and Duncan were both over 20 when they made their debuts. However, both won titles within their first two seasons.
With the Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets all looking their best, the Mavericks have their work cut out for them, and Flagg is simply less polished than both Duncan and Johnson were when they entered the league. However, by quickly cementing him as the franchise face as soon as possible and forcing more established players into a supporting role, the Mavericks should be able to find long-term success on his shoulders.
If they instead opt to take the Detroit Pistons’ route, the consequences could be dire. In 2003, the Pistons were coming off a 50-win season and selected Darko Miličić second overall. Miličić ended up being one of the biggest busts in NBA history, and a lack of work ethic and conditioning played a massive factor.
While those concerns are not present with Flagg, Miličić was also vaulted into a team with title hopes, and won a ring in 2004, playing only 4.7 minutes per game in his rookie season despite his draft status.
Of course, if the Pistons picked Carmelo Anthony or Dwayne Wade instead, they may have ended their Billups/Wallace/Wallace/Prince title window with another successful era on their hands, although there is a case to be made that if they had invested early in Miličić, he could have adjusted to the NBA pace and had a successful career.
Dallas will certainly give Flagg a bigger role than Miličić had, but other win-now teams in similar positions, like the Lakers and Spurs, got the most of their young stars because they have them all that they had.
Detroit did not.
It’s up to the Mavericks to follow the right blueprint.
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