Cooper Flagg hasn't played a minute of NBA basketball yet, but with his Summer League debut set for Thursday night, Hall of Famer Grant Hill already sees him in an ideal situation. Flagg, the former Duke star and No.

When the Dallas Mavericks took Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft last month, it felt like a moment of vindication for some fans. The Mavericks, who traded away franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers just four months prior,

"It took a couple months to really understand, process, feel it, live it — and feel the pain," the coach said of Duke's Final Four loss.

Despite a benchmark offseason, the Dallas Mavericks are picked to finish with a low win total in BetMGM's 2025-26 odds projection.

Imagine telling someone 12 months ago that Cooper Flagg’s Summer League debut would come in a Mavericks jersey against Bronny James, while LeBron James might be eyeing a new team because the Lakers want to build around Luka Dončić.

Gilbert Arenas believes that the Dallas Mavericks are the best landing spot for Cooper Flagg to develop without the crushing pressure.

Gilbert Arenas believes No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg landed in a pressure-free environment built for long-term stardom, comparing his opportunity in Dallas to Tim Duncan’s rookie arrival in San Antonio.

Flagg has gone from sitting on a bucket for hours at a time harvesting peas to finding a place in the NBA as the No. 1 draft pick.