This is emphatically not the situation Cooper Flagg is about to walk into. If everything goes right, the Mavericks -- who improbably won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Monday night -- could genuinely contend for the 2026 championship.

It turned out to be a wild evening for Dallas Mavericks fans. After entering with just a 1.8% chance to win the NBA draft lottery, Dallas made history and secured the No. 1 overall pick. The favorite to be taken with the top selection? Duke superstar Cooper Flagg.

Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey were among the top projected picks in the latest 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo. After the Dallas Mavericks won Monday's draft lottery, the team was expected to add Flagg at No.