NBA Draft Futures: Cooper Flagg Sure Bet to Mavericks at No. 1

The Dallas Mavericks are picking first overall

NBA Rigged? pic.twitter.com/wfzqVOJgJw

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) May 12, 2025

Cooper Flagg is NBA’s Next Generational Star

It’s hard to imagine a scenario, barring another shocking trade, where Dallas does not pick Flagg first overall. The 6-foot-9 power forward is considered a “generational” talent by many scouts and is a “can’t-miss prospect” – much like a Victor Wembanyama or LeBron James. Flagg not only has the potential to change a franchise but will also generate tasty NBA news.

Dallas will select Flagg or trade him to another team for a king’s ransom (unless general manager Nico Harrison does the funniest thing ever). With Flagg, the Mavericks have instantly changed their outlook, especially on the NBA betting odds.

Even without star guard Kyrie Irving (who is out long-term with a torn ACL), the Mavericks will have Flagg, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson as their main core. Dallas went 6-3 with Davis in the lineup and still managed to make the NBA Play-In Tournament despite being ravaged by injuries.

It’s hard for Dallas fans not to be excited. They were still mourning the shocking loss of Luka Doncic at the trade deadline, but will now have a new star to cheer for. And the owners, who reportedly did not want to sign Doncic to a supermax extension, now have a younger superstar at a cheaper price. Some people just get things their way.

Cooper Flagg thinks the NBA Draft Lottery might be rigged. And talks getting traded from Dallas. pic.twitter.com/p7vJpqRqyO

— DNP Sports (@notthefakeDNP) May 13, 2025

Early Look at the Rest of the 2025 NBA Draft

The NBA Draft will be about Dallas and Flagg as the No. 1 overall pick. But after him is a long list of other notable prospects. While others do not have the same star power as Flagg, more than a couple have the potential to blossom into special NBA players.

It starts with Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, who is the second-ranked prospect behind Flagg. He’s listed at +1000 to be chosen first overall, which is laughable as far as NBA future picks are concerned, but also shows how talented he is. Harper is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and is viewed as an all-around playmaker like Jalen Brunson.

Not too far behind is Ace Bailey, Harper’s teammate at Rutgers and a promising swingman. Listed at 6-9, Bailey has drawn comparisons to Paul George and has an ideal NBA body. He’s a 25/1 longshot to be selected first overall. At worst, he’s a top-three draft pick and is +225 to go third overall to Philadelphia in NBA futures odds.

“It feels crazy, surreal.”

Dylan Harper reacts to being in attendance at the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm…

Featuring a cameo from Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey 🥹 pic.twitter.com/zyZi3knHsZ

— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) May 12, 2025

VJ Edgecombe from Baylor is another interesting prospect. He’s likened to elite athletic point guards like Russell Westbrook. While he has a high ceiling, he’s also raw relative to the other top prospects. The team that selects him must work through his growing pains.

Others on the board are Kasparas Jakucionis and Tre Johnson at 50/1 and 60/1 to go first overall. We’d recommend spending that money on something else, like NBA player prop bets or the delicious new McChicken strips. With due respect to these gifted hoopsters, they have no shot at getting taken first even if Flagg were not in the draft.

Jakucionis is not even guaranteed to be taken in the first five picks. The Lithuanian out of Illinois is a prolific scorer, but does not have the size or athleticism that gives him an edge as a future NBA draft pick.

As for Johnson, he’s arguably the best pure scorer of the draft. But like Jakucionis, he lacks the physical attributes to set him apart from the other higher-ranked prospects. Still, he can be a solid contributor almost immediately if he gets put in the right situation.

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