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

After making the biggest leap in NBA draft lottery history to land the No. 1 overall pick, the Dallas Mavericks plan to select Duke forward Cooper Flagg and will not entertain the possibility of trading away the pick for a proven superstar, sources told ESPN.

The Mavs had only a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery after being eliminated in the Western Conference's final play-in game to end a tumultuous, injury-ravaged season.

The unlikely lottery victory occurred a few months after Dallas general manager Nico Harrison shocked the NBA and outraged the Mavericks' fan base by trading five-time first-team All-NBA selection Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by 10-time All-Star power forward center Anthony Davis.

Sources told ESPN that Patrick Dumont, who just finished his first year as the Mavs' governor, considers the opportunity to be in position to draft a generational talent like Flagg a "gift." While Dumont has given Harrison great leeway to run basketball operations, the governor has final decision on all personnel matters.

The aftermath of the Doncic trade created significant business concerns for the Mavs, as well as muddying the long-term outlook for a franchise that gave up its first-round draft capital, either outright or via swap rights, from 2027 to 2030 while building the supporting cast of Dallas' 2024 NBA Finals team. The arrival of Flagg would mitigate both of those concerns.

The 6-foot-9 Flagg has been considered the front-runner to be the top pick in the draft since August 2023, when he announced his decision to graduate high school a year early and enroll in a college as a 17-year-old.

Despite being one of the most heavily anticipated freshmen to enter the college game in several years, Flagg exceeded expectations by winning nearly every major national player of the year award, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, and leading the Blue Devils (35-4) to a Final Four appearance.

"I don't know who we're going to take, but should we take him, I think his résumé is pretty strong," Mavs CEO Rick Welts said Tuesday. "Every time he's put in a situation that everyone wondered if he could succeed, he's succeeded and then some."

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