Former 4-Time NBA All-Star Unveils Shocking Mavericks, Cooper Flagg Take

The Dallas Mavericks shockingly won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and the right to draft Duke Blue Devils standout Cooper Flagg with that selection.

Despite only having a 1.8 percent chance of getting the pick, Nico Harrison and company received a massive gift after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg has legitimate generational talent if he lives up to his full potential.

However, not everyone believes that the Mavericks will or should take Flagg.

One person who doesn't think Flagg is the right fit for Dallas is former four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins. He doesn't even think Flagg is worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick to begin with.

Read more: Celtics' Cooper Flagg Decision Sparks Trade Rumors

During an appearance on "Run It Back," Cousins spoke out with a strong take about the situation. He believes that Ace Bailey, not Flagg, should be the No. 1 pick. Cousins also dropped a legendary comparison for Bailey.

"He's the closest thing we've seen to Tracy McGrady," Cousins said.

Most analysts and experts would disagree with Cousins' take. Flagg has been viewed as the clear No. 1 pick for quite some time. Even before he played his first game at Duke, Flagg was receiving that level of hype.

Throughout the course of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Flagg played in 37 games for the Blue Devils. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor and connecting on 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts.

Read more: Warriors Are Reportedly Already Preparing to Trade for Celtics Star

Bailey, on the other hand, played in 30 games for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights as a freshman. He averaged 17.6 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and one steal. In addition, he shot 46 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from three-point range.

Now, the Mavericks will have to make a decision on what they want to do with the pick. Another possible option that has been suggested is Dallas trading the pick for a win-now player.

While Cousins has every right to his opinion, it still seems very likely that Flagg will be the No. 1 overall pick. Bailey should be the No. 2 pick if things work out as expected.

Only time will tell, and fans won't have to wait much longer to find out. The 2025 NBA draft is set to begin on June 25.

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