Mavericks look to the future
Basketball season is around the corner for all fans of the NBA! Dallas finally has some hope after a heartbreaking, confusing and disappointing season by their Dallas Mavericks. On February 1st, 2025, the same night as our beloved Groundhog Day celebrations, the Dallas Mavericks traded star point guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for power forward Anthony Davis and other rotation players in what may become the craziest trade in NBA history.
After trading for Anthony Davis, the Mavericks’ general manager Nico Harrison held a press conference stating “defense wins championships,” and that Anthony Davis can elevate their defense just eight months after the Mavericks went to the NBA Finals losing 4-1 versus the Boston Celtics. In Davis’s first game against the Houston Rockets, he proved to be a star for Dallas. However, he went down in the third quarter with a left abductor strain that would sideline him for almost the remainder of the season.
As the Mavericks appeared to have no hope for the remainder of the season, a month after losing both Luka to the Lakers and Davis to injury , Dallas star guard Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL that would bench him until halfway through next season. All hope appeared to be lost for Dallas and their fanbase. Rumors continued to spread that the team would be moved to Las Vegas and the city of Dallas would lose its beloved Mavericks altogether. Somehow, through all the criticism, injuries and what seemed to be a lost cause season, the Mavericks made the Western Conference play-in tournament but lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 120-106.
Finally, the season came to an end, and the chaos that was the 2024-2025 Dallas Mavericks nightmare concluded. Fans quickly blamed Nico Harrison and the Mavericks’ bad organization for their lack of success. Yet when all seemed lost for Dallas, Lady Luck bestowed the Mavericks with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. In the NBA, 14 teams are put into a lottery system and given a draft pick. Going into this lottery, the Mavericks had a 1.8% chance of acquiring the first overall pick, and have never in franchise history been given this opportunity.
Dallas fans celebrated, as now they would not have to begin a “rebuild phase”. Many speculated that the Mavericks would trade their first overall pick for a proven star of the NBA, while others believed that they would draft a college phenom and build around the young talent. Although there was considerable talent in this year’s draft, none rose higher in conversation than Duke’s young forward Cooper Flagg.
Cooper Flagg, born in Newport, Maine, was an immediate star as he entered the college ranks. Standing at 6’9”, Flagg is considered a “two-way player” and was the perfect fit for Dallas. His speed, length and defensive ability seemed to be exactly what Nico Harrison and the Mavericks were looking for.Flagg, the second youngest draft selection in NBA history at 18 years old (only behind Lebron James) had been given the keys to the city of Dallas that Luka Dončić once held. The expectations for Flagg are high, and Dallas fans grow more and more excited with each passing day. Flagg has proved himself as hardworking, talented and a true team player early on in his NBA career. Many believe that Flagg is the missing piece to the Mavericks team and can help them win in his rookie season, as there is also hope for Anthony Davis to return shortly from his injuries, and Kyrie Irving is ahead of his rehab schedule.
Cooper Flagg is blessed with a highly-praised coaching staff, headed up by Coach Jason Kidd, and a talented roster, including Irving, Davis, Klay Thompson and many more. Cooper Flagg begins his era in Dallas with high expectations, and many believe he is ready to face them all and bring home the Larry Bird Trophy to Dallas once again.