There’s a new era of Mavericks basketball in Dallas, again.
Three months after parting ways with a generational talent in Luka Doncic, the Mavs had luck on their side as they won the No. 1 overall pick at the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. Dallas is now on the clock, but it probably won’t need much time to use its pick to select Duke’s Cooper Flagg.
Flagg, who won’t turn 19 until the second month of his rookie season, lands with a 39-win team that was just one Play-In Tournament victory from advancing to the NBA Playoffs this year. The result is the rare example of a consensus top prospect landing with a team built for postseason success.
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How does Flagg fit with who the Mavericks have in tow? Here’s a breakdown of their potential roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
MORE:Â The biggest winners & losers from 2025 NBA Draft Lottery
Mavericks roster with Cooper Flagg
Here is a look at the Mavericks’ potential roster with Flagg. The players below are those under contract for the 2025-26 season. It is worth noting that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will be unavailable to begin the season as he rehabs from a torn ACL suffered in March.
| Player | Position | Height | Age | 2024-25 PPG |
| Max Christie | G | 6-6 | 22 | 11.2 |
| Anthony Davis | F/C | 6-10 | 32 | 20.0 |
| Spencer Dinwiddie | G | 6-5 | 32 | 11.0 |
| Cooper Flagg | G/F | 6-8 | 18 | — |
| Daniel Gafford | C | 6-10 | 26 | 12.3 |
| Jaden Hardy | G | 6-4 | 22 | 8.7 |
| Kyrie Irving | G | 6-2 | 33 | 24.7 |
| Dereck Lively II | C | 7-1 | 21 | 8.7 |
| Naji Marshall | F | 6-7 | 27 | 13.2 |
| Caleb Martin | F | 6-5 | 29 | 5.4 |
| Dwight Powell | C | 6-10 | 33 | 2.1 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | F | 6-8 | 22 | 3.9 |
| Klay Thompson | G | 6-5 | 35 | 14.0 |
| PJ Washington | F | 6-7 | 26 | 14.7 |
| Brandon Williams | G | 6-1 | 25 | 8.3 |
MORE NBA DRAFT: Big board | 2-round Mock Draft
Mavericks projected starting five
Here is what Dallas’ starting five could look like once Irving returns from injury. He is expected back in the lineup after the calendar flips to 2026.
- G Kyrie Irving
- G Klay Thompson
- F Cooper Flagg
- F Anthony Davis
- C Dereck Lively II
This Mavs’ lineup would blend youth with experience as it has a trio of veterans in Davis, Irving and Thompson and a duo of young players in Flagg and Lively.
There is flexibility here, however, as Thompson could potentially be moved into the second unit in favor of a younger option like Max Christie, Naji Marshall or PJ Washington. If one of Marshall or Washington is inserted in place of Thompson, Flagg would likely slide into the backcourt next to Irving.
At Duke, Flagg was listed as a guard and forward, and he has the skills to play the shooting guard position, though his size and measurements suggest he is a small forward.
The biggest takeaway from Dallas’ lottery luck is that head coach Jason Kidd has plenty of flexibility with the types of players on the roster. As this past season showed, health will be the determining factor in the Mavs reaching their ceiling.
