Cooper Flagg the new Maine man for the Mavericks as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Cooper Flagg is the new Maine man in Dallas.
The Mavericks took the Duke forward with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night, hoping they have found their next franchise superstar less than five months after trading one away.
Mavericks fans were furious when Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, some immediately threatening to end their support of the team.
But the ones who stuck around may quickly love Flagg, the college player of the year who averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading Duke to the Final Four. The Mavericks quickly announced that Flagg would wear No. 32 in Dallas, where fellow Duke products Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II are on the roster.
'I'm really excited. I think I keep saying I'm excited to be a sponge, to get down there and just learn, be surrounded by Hall of Fame-caliber guys and just to be able to learn from them,' Flagg said. 'It's going to be an incredible experience.'
His selection — considered likely ever since Flagg showed off his considerable game last summer after being invited to the U.S. Olympic team's training camp — was a daylong celebration in his home state for the 18-year-old forward from Newport, Maine.
'It means a lot to me to have the support of the whole state. I know how many people showed up today and supported me at some of the draft parties back home,' Flagg said. 'It feels amazing knowing I can inspire younger kids. I was in their shoes really not that long ago, so just to know I can give those kids those feelings and have the whole state behind me, it means a lot.'
He joined Elton Brand, Irving, Zion Williamson and Paolo Banchero as Duke players drafted No. 1 since 1999, and he returned the draft to its longtime start with a one-and-done college player.
That's the way the draft began every year from 2010 until Banchero's selection in 2022, but the last two No. 1 picks, Victor Wembanyama and Zaccherie Risacher, are both from France.
Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper was taken by the Spurs with the No. 2 pick and will try to follow Wembanyama and Stephon Castle and give San Antonio a third straight NBA Rookie of the Year.
'It's definitely a goal of mine to make it three in a row,' Harper said. 'I think the coaching staff and the players are going to make it easy for me to go out there and showcase my talent, so definitely.'
The 76ers then took Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, getting the first sustained burst of loud cheers of the draft from what seemed to be a number of Philadelphia fans who made the trip to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The first two picks had long been expected, but the No. 3 spot was the first one where there was intrigue.
Kon Knueppel made it two Duke players in the first four picks when the Charlotte Hornets took him at No. 4. Ace Bailey, who could have been in the mix to go third but declined to work out for the 76ers, ended up going at No. 5 to Utah.
Then it was Tre Johnson of Texas to the Washington Wizards at No. 6 and Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears to New Orleans at No. 7, before the host Nets took BYU's Egor Demin at No. 8, Brooklyn's first of potentially five selections in the first round.
Toronto took South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 before Duke big man Khaman Maluach finished up the top 10, a pick made by the Houston Rockets but headed to Phoenix as part of the trade for Kevin Durant that can't become official until next month.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
22 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Mavs' no-brainer with Cooper Flagg is latest in what is becoming quite the Duke plan
Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Before the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA draft lottery and the right to select Cooper Flagg, general manager Nico Harrison said he was preparing for a pick around the 11th spot. Which begs the obvious question: How much more draft prep did Harrison have to do? 'Not too much,' Harrison said as he resisted the urge to laugh. It's becoming quite the Duke plan for Harrison and company. The sudden fortune of winning the lottery with a 1.8% chance paid off Wednesday night when Dallas took Flagg No. 1 overall about 24 hours after the Mavs agreed on a new contract with Kyrie Irving. The nine-time All-Star guard was the top pick out of Duke 14 years ago. Once Irving returns from a torn ACL, probably two or three months into next season, a healthy Dallas starting lineup is likely to include three one-and-done Blue Devils. The Mavs got center Dereck Lively II with the 12th overall pick in 2023. Dallas won the lottery May 12, a little more than three months after the seismic trade of young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, a move that enraged most of the fan base. Irving's injury March 3 against Sacramento actually played a role in Dallas ending up with Flagg. It all but ended any realistic playoff hopes for the Mavs, with Davis already sidelined by a groin injury sustained in his Dallas debut a little less than a month before Irving went down. Davis eventually returned, and the Mavericks secured the last spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament a year after representing the West and losing to Boston in five games in the NBA Finals. Dallas won at Sacramento before losing at Memphis with the No. 8 seed in the playoffs at stake. A win there would have kept the Mavs out of the lottery. There was never much question that Irving would return, and the move was expected when he declined his $43 million player option for 2025-26 and agreed to a $119 million, three-year deal with a player option in the final season. Irving also signed a three-year deal with a player option the offseason after he joined the Mavs in a trade with Brooklyn. The idea was to pair him with Doncic for deep playoff runs, but Dallas missed the postseason in 2023 before reaching the finals for the first time since 2011 last year. Davis and Irving both have player options in 2027-28, when Flagg will be entering the third year of his rookie deal. 'We had a great week,' Harrison said. 'Obviously, there's a lot of stuff we can't say. But we were able to have initial conversations with a couple of our guys. And we feel good about the outcome of that.' Flagg is the second No. 1 overall pick in Dallas franchise history. The Mavericks took Mark Aguirre out of DePaul in 1981. Flagg's new coach, Jason Kidd, was the second overall pick by the Mavs in 1994. Dallas was coming off its expansion season when Aguirre was picked, so it goes without saying the high-scoring guard didn't have much around him. Flagg comes to Texas under much different circumstances. The Mavericks are in the unique position of letting The Associated Press men's college player of the year find his way surrounded by accomplished veterans. Irving won a championship with LeBron James in Cleveland in 2016, and Davis paired with James to bring the Lakers their 17th title five years ago. The heavily criticized Harrison has maintained that the immediate goal of a championship didn't change when he traded Doncic. The style of play in trying to win one is what changed, he said, with an emphasis on defense. Harrison believes Flagg fits the profile of a two-way player. The 18-year-old was supposed to be graduating from high school about now, until he changed the timeline by going to Duke a year early and leading the storied program to the Final Four. 'I think it's actually awesome that somebody gets to develop on their own time, whatever that is, and we have the support that we can allow him to develop on his own time,' Harrison said. 'We'll be able to win when he's having good games and also win when not having his best.' Davis' extensive injury history didn't do much to boost Harrison's belief after the trade that the Mavs were set up to win now and in the future. The lottery win gave Dallas a chance to cultivate its next generational talent less than six months after giving up the one it had. 'I think it's win now,' Harrison said. 'It's also win in the future. Eventually, it's going to be Cooper's team. We don't when that transition will happen. So I think win now and then set yourself up to win in future as well.' ___ AP NBA: recommended
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA Prospect Ace Bailey Under Fire for Pre-Draft Behavior
NBA Prospect Ace Bailey Under Fire for Pre-Draft Behavior originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The 2025 NBA draft will tipoff on Wednesday night, sending several highly-touted prospects to their new professional basketball homes. Advertisement One of the top prospects in this year's NBA draft class is Ace Bailey, a 6-foot-10 guard/forward out of Rutgers. Bailey's pre-draft process has been far from typical. The 18-year-old prospect didn't work out for a single NBA team, declining several invitations. He had a workout scheduled with the Philadelphia 76ers, but canceled on the team just two days before. Bailey is the only US-based player to not work out with a single NBA team before this year's draft process. Bailey reportedly has three preferred draft destinations: the Washington Wizards (No. 6), New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7) and Brooklyn Nets (No. 8). His camp has reportedly made it clear that he does not want to be drafted by the Charlotte Hornets (No. 4) or the Utah Jazz (No. 5). Advertisement Bailey is taking some serious heat on social media for his pre-draft behavior. "Humble yourself and be grateful that you have an opportunity to play for the NBA," one fan wrote. "Mans got potential but he aint do enough to be this demanding," another said. "Not even the best player in the draft and he acting like he LeBron," another added. "He has a terrible camp/representation around him," another said. 76ers forward Paul George spoke out against Bailey's pre-draft strategy during a recent episode of his podcast. "If I'm Ace Bailey, I can't get mad if my stock drops. He's canceled all workouts, like he hasn't worked out for any team." George said. '... You're not in position to be making all these demands. Make it to the league first... The way of going about it is just not right." Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey slaps hands with fans after the game against the Minnesota Golden Carchietta-Imagn Images Bailey responded to this criticism during a pre-draft interview on Tuesday. Advertisement "I can control what I can control. Me playing basketball," he said. The 2025 NBA draft will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Why the 76ers zeroed in on VJ Edgecombe and his All-Star upside with No. 3 pick
PHILADELPHIA — The predraft process is often littered with rumor, innuendo and plain misinformation. That was particularly true in Philadelphia this summer. And that was only natural. After all, the Sixers held the No. 3 selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the first high lottery pick of Daryl Morey's career as team president. And because we knew who the first two picks would be, the draft essentially started with Philly. What would the 76ers do? Advertisement Internally, for multiple reasons, VJ Edgecombe nudged ahead of the rest of the pack, long before Morey and his staff phoned in their selection of the combination guard on Wednesday night. Off the floor, Edgecombe interviewed with poise and polish. He presented himself as a professional. He made the Sixers' front office comfortable with betting on him. On the floor, in a tier of players who all came with a certain level of flaw, Edgecombe presented the Sixers with the best balance between a high-floor and high-ceiling outcome in the group of four or so players Philadelphia seriously considered. And in a backcourt that we could generously call defensively deficient last season, Edgecombe was the only player in that group who came ready to play on the defensive end of the floor. 'I hate to see other people score,' Edgecombe said. 'I just hate it. I really hate it.' The 76ers selected Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick of Wednesday's draft precisely for that kind of competitiveness. They need a dynamic guard defensively. They need the elite level of athleticism that he brings. And you can count off names all you want — Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Jared McCain — but the Sixers need to put more talent around Joel Embiid. Bouncing back from a 50-loss season is in the cards for the 76ers, in what could be a wild and wide-open Eastern Conference next season. The Indiana Pacers could take a step back without Tyrese Haliburton. The Boston Celtics have already taken multiple steps to dismantle the core that won them a championship. Teams are taking a gander at the landscape and concluding that the climb up the mountain is possible. What the Sixers have done by selecting Edgecombe is make a dynamic backcourt more dynamic. Yes, they were awful last season. They got off to a terrible start, then they correctly concluded they needed to lose a lot in the second half of the season to retain a draft pick owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Edgecombe brings a dose of athleticism that comes around every few years. Think about the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar. Edgecombe doesn't have their physical size. But his explosion off the ground, his first step and his vertical explosion at the rim are comparable. Advertisement 'I think we now have one of the best backcourts in the league,' Morey said. 'When you look at some of these teams that are successful, they all have multiple guards.' The downside to the backcourt they have created is a lack of size. Maxey and Edgecombe top out at 6-foot-4. McCain is generously listed at 6-3. But when you take the skill and the athleticism, the Sixers do have a deep and talented backcourt, especially if they retain Quentin Grimes, and especially if rising second-year lefty Justin Edwards takes a leap. Embiid's balky knee, which cost him most of last season, is still the key to whether Philadelphia can turn last season around. But the Sixers caught a good bit of lottery luck in retaining the first-round pick that originally was top-six protected. And then, they caught some good fortune in being able to move up a few spots. A lot of what separated Edgecombe from the pack are the things that happened well before the predraft process. He showed extremely well for the Bahamas last summer in international basketball. And that is where you could see how a player of his athletic ability could thrive in the spacing of professional basketball. He showed resilience in his freshman season at Baylor, improving as the year progressed and turning himself into one of the better players in the Big 12 conference in January and February. His defense and athletic ability figure to get him on the floor early in his professional career. That is the floor he provides at the No. 3 selection. 'I'm really focused on trying to shoot the ball at a high level,' Edgecombe said. 'My job is going to be trying to release pressure on Joel, Paul (George) and Tyrese.' What excites the Sixers is what Edgecombe could become. On Wednesday night, Morey said Edgecombe has All-Star upside. More than one prognosticator compares him to a young Victor Oladipo. If you squint really hard, you may see hints of a young Dwyane Wade. To get to a star level, Edgecombe needs to hit on his swing skills. He's currently not a great shooter. He's someone who can make shots, and even important shots. But he's more dangerous offensively at this point in transition. Secondly, his ballhandling has to improve. He's good, but not yet dynamic, off the dribble. Wade and Oladipo were both very good off the bounce. Edgecombe has to get to that level to unlock his ceiling. Advertisement But that's where Edgecombe the person comes in. He's a competitive guy who, by all accounts, will come in and be a hard worker, and someone who will work to develop the weaker points of his game. And in that vein, he is coming into a veteran roster, players like George and Maxey, that he can lean on. Initially, he will play in summer leagues in Utah and Las Vegas. And then, for him and the Sixers, it will be a race to training camp and a new season. 'We're super excited about VJ and that we got the chance to draft him,' Morey said. 'He's a dynamic athlete. We think he's one of the best athletes in the draft. We think he has a chance to be a potential All-Star, and he's going to be a two-way player coming into the league. He has a lot of winning qualities, and we think he is going to be a really good fit. We think he is going to be a great teammate.'
