Flagg is fresh off a consensus National Player of the Year campaign where he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 37 games, leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. Drafting Flagg would position him alongside veterans Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis on a roster that reached the NBA Finals in 2024.

Cooper Flagg is starting to settle into his new reality. The former Duke star has been considered the presumptive No. 1 pick in next month's NBA draft for some time and now knows that pick is held by the Dallas Mavericks — winners of the draft lottery earlier this week.

The NBA draft lottery once again produced straight-up drama and intrigue this week, with the Dallas Mavericks defying astronomical odds to land the No. 1 overall pick. That got us thinking about the NFL’s draft system that simply rewards the league’s worst teams without any wrinkles.