Sources have told the press that Dallas governor Patrick Dumont, believes that the opportunity to be able to draft a generational talent like Cooper Flagg is a “gift,” and the team won’t trade off their No. 1 pick of the upcoming NBA Draft. This means that the 18-year-old is set to wear the Mavericks jersey.
Now the Texan organization can only hope that Flagg will end up as the top pick in the draft, as the 6-foot-9 forward has been considered the front-runner ever since he decided to graduate from high school a year early to enroll in college as a 17-year-old.
“I don’t know who we’re going to take, but should we take him, I think his résumé is pretty strong,” said CEO Rick Welts, who is crossing his fingers it will be the Duke freshman. “Every time he’s put in a situation that everyone wondered if he could succeed, he’s succeeded and then some.”
What is most amazing, is the context in which this lottery happened. Not only are the Mavericks coming from making the biggest trade in recent NBA history, as they sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles in February’s deadline, but also the fact that Cooper is set to be the first pick and dominate the league for years to come.
Social media is now flooded with jokes about general manager Nico Harrison, which is why Welts felt he had to address this narrative of a “rigged” lottery. “I’m the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago,” he said, as he worked for the league office in the first ever NBA lottery in 1985.
“I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I’ve been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since,” Welts told the Washington Post‘s Ben Golliver. “This is very surreal, personally. I am so happy for Mavericks fans.”
The CEO then added: “I am just amazed at the depth of emotion and connection that the fan base has with this team. And what happened today, I can’t imagine a better day for Mavs fans. It’s going to really be something special. I can’t wait to get back to Dallas.”
