Jason Kidd Reacts to Mavericks’ Opportunity to Draft Cooper Flagg

Jason Kidd has every reason to be pleased: his Dallas Mavericks have incredibly landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, despite having just a 1.8% chance of doing so. Barring any major surprises, the Mavericks are widely expected to select Cooper Flagg with the top pick—and for the first time, Coach Kidd has shared his thoughts on the matter: “I just felt, you know, we were going to stay around 11, if not go backwards, just the way the things were going for us this year. But incredible to get number one.”

Kidd also emphasized the value of Flagg joining a veteran-laden, win-now roster:
“He doesn’t turn 19 until December, and so just understanding he’s young, but he’s very talented, can play both ends. Being able to have older players—and when I say that, out of respect, they’re not dinosaurs—but when you look at the age of 30, Ky, AD, guys that are here, Klay could definitely help him with the process of going through a rookie season”

The coach believes Flagg is better off joining a contending team like Dallas rather than one in the middle of a rebuild:
“I think this is a great situation for him. When you talk about the other clubs, he would have to produce right away at a high, high level. Here, the pressure of living up to number one will be a lot easier with the talent around him. We are playing for a championship. This isn’t about just rebuilding. He’s going to have help”. During his freshman year at Duke, Cooper Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game—solidifying his status as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the class.