The Dallas Mavericks turned the 2025 NBA Draft on its head, stunning the league by snagging the first overall pick with a mere 1.8% chance. Few saw it coming; the Mavs were expected to hover outside the elite slots. And then, against all odds, the franchise struck gold in Duke’s Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9 projected superstar, who immediately forced them to rethink their future. But whatever plans were previously on the table, this changed everything.

The upheaval seemed to manifest publicly on June 13, 2025, nearly two weeks before the June 25 NBA Draft, when a photo briefly appeared on the team’s official website, a graphic welcoming Flagg to Dallas, boldly confirming what many already suspected. The page was removed quickly, but not fast enough; Front Office Sports captured a screenshot and put it up on social media, adding their own note: “The Mavs have seemingly announced their selection of Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick on their website. The draft is in 12 days.” The blunder seemed less a clever leak and more a messy oversight — a team preparing assets in advance and clicking “publish” a little too soon.

This incident ignited a rush of rumors and controversy. Some fans mocked the franchise’s carelessness, wondering how a multi-billion-dollar organization could allow such a mistake to happen in the first place. Others rushed to their defense, arguing it was a simple human error, a premature upload meant for future use, not a dramatic revelation. Whatever the intent, the episode added a messy twist to a story already rich in anticipation. So when Shams Charania hopped on The Rich Eisen Show, everyone was eager to hear directly from him — this is what Shams had to say about it. 

“The Mavericks are going to be taking Cooper Flagg for sure.” It’s not a wild claim. That statement carries real weight. Dallas has reportedly scheduled a private workout on June 17, just after Father’s Day, and sources confirm they’re not planning to interview any other prospects at No. 1. NBA insiders describe the Mavericks’ mindset as “all‑in” on Flagg, with multiple front-office decision‑makers attending his recent scouting sessions and seeing a two‑way phenom who already dominates defensively and shows advanced playmaking instincts. 

When asked whether the Lakers might intervene, Shams continued: “No, I don’t expect that. He’s actually going to visit them this upcoming week after Father’s Day. He’ll spend time with Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd, that organization. So, he’ll be there for a couple of days and I think they have fully honed in on Cooper Flagg as the number one pick in the overall NBA draft.”

That visit isn’t a negotiating gambit; the Mavericks are showing Flagg that he is their centerpiece. With head coach Jason Kidd and president Nico Harrison personally hosting, they’re strategically cultivating trust and alignment. Flagg is set to be the defensive anchor and playmaking forward to help spearhead Dallas’ post‑Luka rebuild. So yes, that accidental post was as good as a press conference.

As the Mavericks prepare to make their move official, the conversation is already shifting from “Where will Flagg land?” to “Who will he become once he gets there?”

From franchise hope to fitting piece — Where will Flagg really land?

As the dust settles from the Mavericks’ stunning stroke of fortune in securing the first overall pick, a more measured view of Cooper Flagg’s future is beginning to emerge. Among those offering a particularly insightful perspective is Chuck Klosterman, who sees in Flagg not a franchise-carrying superstar, but a Detlef Schrempf-like career — a comparison rich in context and significance. Schrempf, a key piece for the Seattle SuperSonics and the Indiana Pacers in the 1990s, was a 3-time All-Star and a two-time Sixth Man of the Year, a player who profoundly influenced his team’s success without needing to be its leading scorer. His ability to seamlessly fill whatever role was required made him a unique asset, a perfect complementary piece alongside a superstar. And this, Klosterman believes, is a path Flagg may well follow.

“I think he’s going to have a career like Detlef Schrempf, I think he’s going to be a very good player … I don’t see him as a dominating player.… I think he will be the second-best player on a good team or the third-best player on a great team.” Klosterman’s view highlights a key consideration for the Mavericks’ future: not all great players need to be dominant, ball-dominant figures to affect a team’s trajectory. Sometimes, it’s a versatile forward — someone who can score when called upon, contribute on the boards, and facilitate ball movement, thus becoming an indispensable piece tying a contender together.

It’s a framing that sets the stage for a new era in Dallas, one defined not by a single face of the franchise but by a unique spot in their roster and future in a post-Luka era.