It appeared as if the Mavericks had a short window of relevancy and championship contention following the trade of Doncic, but that changed once the ping pong balls fell their way — leading to the selection of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. The Duke freshman will join Christie and Dereck Lively II as the franchise’s core of the future.

The Duke Blue Devils have had more than their fair share of top players, most of whom have gone on to have long, successful NBA careers. In 2025, Cooper Flagg certainly headlined the NBA Draft class,

Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe edged out Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg at halftime in NBA Summer League.

To add to the accolades, Flagg won ESPN’s ESPY award for the 2025 Best Male College Athlete on Wednesday afternoon. 🏀 @DukeMBB ➡️ @dallasmavs @Cooper_Flagg takes home the @ESPYS Best College Athlete - Men's Sports award! 🏆 @MarchMadnessMBB x @MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/7jYKl1r0BK

In their franchise history, the Dallas Mavericks have had two true all-time greats lead the way: Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki. With Cooper Flagg, they are looking for a third, and he seems poised to finish his career as an NBA legend.