Sources: Mavs won't trade No. 1 pick, eye Flagg

After making the biggest leap successful NBA draught lottery past to onshore the No. 1 wide pick, the Dallas Mavericks program to prime Duke guardant Cooper Flagg and volition not entertain the anticipation of trading distant the prime for a proven superstar, sources told ESPN.

The Mavs had lone a 1.8% accidental of winning the lottery aft being eliminated successful the Western Conference's last play-in crippled to extremity a tumultuous, injury-ravaged season.

The improbable lottery triumph occurred a fewer months aft Dallas wide manager Nico Harrison shocked the NBA and outraged the Mavericks' instrumentality basal by trading five-time first-team All-NBA enactment Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a bundle headlined by 10-time All-Star powerfulness guardant halfway Anthony Davis.

Sources told ESPN that Patrick Dumont, who conscionable finished his archetypal twelvemonth arsenic the Mavs' governor, considers the accidental to beryllium successful presumption to draught a generational endowment similar Flagg a "gift." While Dumont has fixed Harrison large leeway to tally hoops operations, the politician has last determination connected each unit matters.

The aftermath of the Doncic commercialized created important concern concerns for the Mavs, arsenic good arsenic muddying the semipermanent outlook for a franchise that gave up its first-round draught capital, either outright oregon via swap rights, from 2027 to 2030 portion gathering the supporting formed of Dallas' 2024 NBA Finals team. The accomplishment of Flagg would mitigate some of those concerns.

The 6-foot-9 Flagg has been considered the front-runner to beryllium the apical prime successful the draught since August 2023, erstwhile helium announced his determination to postgraduate precocious schoolhouse a twelvemonth aboriginal and enroll successful a assemblage arsenic a 17-year-old.

Despite being 1 of the astir heavy anticipated freshmen to participate the assemblage crippled successful respective years, Flagg exceeded expectations by winning astir each large nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth award, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, and starring the Blue Devils (35-4) to a Final Four appearance.

"I don't cognize who we're going to take, but should we instrumentality him, I deliberation his résumé is beauteous strong," Mavs CEO Rick Welts said Tuesday. "Every clip he's enactment successful a concern that everyone wondered if helium could succeed, he's succeeded and past some."

ESPN's Michael C. Wright and Jonathan Givony contributed to this report.