Dallas Mavericks fans wanted to be sure that their front office would draft Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall in the 2025 Draft. But this was the same franchise that shockingly traded Luka Doncic away. So there were fears. However, they breathed a sigh of relief when Flagg’s name got read out. The 6-foot-9 phenom out of Duke blends high-IQ defense with a smooth scoring touch, and he possesses an edge that seems to be a rarity among today’s young NBA players.
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Danny Green, a three-time NBA champion who knows what it takes to win at the highest level, joined NBA Today on ESPN alongside Andraya Carter and Bobby Marks to discuss Flagg, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavericks’ new outlook. Flagg may be a rookie, but Green was clear — the Mavericks should expect big things from him.
Other experts, including Stephen A. Smith, have also called the healthy Mavs a championship-caliber team. And it’s not hard to see why. With future Hall of Famers like Davis, Irving, and Klay Thompson on the roster, Dallas already has the experience and star power. Now, they’ve added a youngster who could one day become the face of the league.
“At full strength, you expect them to be in the top three,” Green said on national TV. He opened with a level-headed take on the team’s chances, pointing out Irving’s ACL tear in March as a temporary drawback. “Everybody being healthy. [They’re] still waiting on Kyrie to see what he looks like, but this is a top-six seated team. They have to be a lot better this year than they were last year.”
Green, while talking about Flagg, also brought in Davis, who was his teammate at the Los Angeles Lakers. Together, they won the NBA chip in 2020, and Green feels that Dallas got him in place of Doncic because they want to win now. “They make these moves for AD. You have a short window. They want to win now. You got Cooper Flagg, you have some depth, you keep Daniel Gafford, [and finalize the] Kyrie extension,” he said. “You need a point guard [and some] depth at that position.”
Then, he laid it out, plain and heavy. “The expectations for this team [are that] they got to at least make the Western Conference Finals,” he said. “At least this year and within the next two or three years, [the Mavericks] have to be in the finals.”
Marks backed him without hesitation. The ESPN insider nodded along and broke down the roster. “Danny’s got a really good point,” he said. “When you take a look at this Dallas Mavericks roster … it’s certainly [strong] with Kyrie Irving.”
He suggested the Mavericks mimic Indiana’s model and land a proven point guard to plug the gap. “Is that a player like D’Angelo Russell, maybe even Chris Paul?” he asked. “They’ve got 12 players below $20 million. They’re comparable to how Indiana has built their roster.”
The Cooper Flagg era has only just begun, but the pressure already feels like the playoffs. Irving’s availability this season remains uncertain, though many expect him to return after the new year. Regardless, Dallas may be out of excuses. The Mavericks are loaded, and the clock is ticking.
