Cooper Flagg reflects on potential pairing alongside Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving: “I look forward to being the 2-way player”

The Dallas Mavericks won the Cooper Flagg lottery on Monday, landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft months after trading away superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg opened up about possibly teaming up with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving in Dallas in an interview following the NBA Draft Lottery.

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins mentioned during the chat that the Dallas Mavericks have made it known they like two-way players in their lineup and that was the reason why they traded Doncic to the Lakers for Davis.

Perkins asked Flagg what he was looking forward to as a two-way star playing alongside Davis and Irving.

"This entire experience for me has been amazing,” Flagg said (Timestamp 1:17). "Just gonna look forward to, like you said, being a two-way player. That is something that I have done since I was a little kid, so I’m just gonna try to keep doing that to the best of my ability."

Bob Myers followed up Perkins' question by asking Flagg his thoughts on possibly joining a good team in the Mavericks, an unusual scenario for a top pick in the draft.

"I didn't try and think about it too much. I feel like it was kind of out of my control. So I'm just kind of going through the process like everybody else and just trying to enjoy every single moment because we only get to do this once," Flagg added.

Cooper Flagg joining Dallas was a long shot entering the 2025 NBA Draft as the Mavericks were given just a 1.8% chance to land the No. 1 pick. They leapfrogged the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets, who each had a 14% chance of securing the No. 1 pick after finishing the 2024-25 regular season with the three worst records in the NBA.

The San Antonio Spurs also found some good fortune in this year's draft, getting the No. 2 pick. The Philadelphia 76ers moved up to third while the Charlotte Hornets received the No. 4 pick.

Cooper Flagg dazzles with two-way play for Duke in the 2024-25 NCAA season

Cooper Flagg was called the next big thing by basketball experts heading into the 2024-25 NCAA season. He lived up to the hype in his freshman year, leading the Duke Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance.

Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (#2) dunks the ball against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. Photo: Imagn

Flagg was a menace on both ends of the floor, leading the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and steals. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 boards, 4.2 dimes, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks through 37 games.

The teen phenom stepped up his play in this year's March Madness, averaging 21.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists through five NCAA Tournament games. He also displayed his defensive prowess, averaging 2.0 blocks and 0.6 steals in the Big Dance.