As general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, Nico Harrison has been under more scrutiny than nearly any individual in the NBA. He traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers after their 2024 NBA Finals run, then landed the first overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
Now that Flagg is in Dallas, Harrison hopes the pick will ‘clear his name‘ with Mavericks fans after their revolt from the Doncic trade. In a press conference held after selecting Flagg, Harrison said that he was ‘hoping‘ the public backlash directed toward him would slowly die down.
“Fortune favors the bold,” Harrison said after winning the draft lottery. “So exciting things fell our way.”
The Mavericks finished the season with a 39-43 record and lost in the Play-In tournament. They add Flagg to a team that features Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Derrick Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and an injured Kyrie Irving. Dallas expects to make a massive jump with the top overall prospect after a disappointing and tumultuous 2024-25 season with Harrison at the helm.
Harrison’s Thoughts On Mavericks Drafting Flagg
Dallas won the draft lottery with a 1.8% chance to land the first overall pick. Tied with the lowest odds to have of selecting Flagg, Harrison and the Mavericks now take the freshman from Duke who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks on 48.1% shooting in 37 games.
“Exciting night for the Dallas Mavericks franchise,” Harrison said after the pick. “We’re just super excited to get Cooper. It’s a generational talent, a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and so we’re just top to bottom excited.”
Harrison also praised Flagg’s basketball ability. He was one of the top scorers in college last season and has strengths in nearly all aspects of the game. Flagg broke the ACC freshman scoring record and won nearly all of college basketball’s major awards, earning Naismith Player of the Year honors and consensus All-American status in his lone season at Duke.
“I think the biggest thing is he’s a two-way player,” Harrison said. “When you watch him play, he plays hard. … When you have a player that’s that good and people talk about the intangibles — they don’t talk about basketball — then that’s a guy who’s going to add to your culture.”
Regardless of how Harrison believes the selection will change his perception with Mavericks fans, they have yet to show any evidence of forgiving the general manager. Fans in the Mavericks arena were heard chanting ‘Fire Nico!‘ before Dallas made their pick, a chant that was prominent following the Doncic trade.
Flagg Gave His Thoughts On Joining Dallas
Flagg, the second-youngest player ever drafted first overall, gave his immediate thoughts on heading to a Mavericks team that has undergone a ton of change over the past few months.
“It’s a dream come true, to be honest,” Flagg said after he was drafted. “Talking to Coach (Jason) Kidd, I think he has a lot of confidence in me to just come in and be an impact player. He’s gonna let me have the ball a little bit I think, and try to do what I can do.”
While recent rumors have linked Kidd to interest from the New York Knicks, the Mavericks add Flagg as their latest piece with hopes to compete in the Western Conference next season.
Flagg also shared advice his mother told him after he reclassified in high school before eventually becoming the top pick by Dallas.
“A quote my mom likes to say a lot—’If you’re the best player in the gym, then you need to find a new gym.‘“, Flagg said. “So for me it was thinking about what I had left to do in high school, and how much that would push me to become a better player. So for me, that decision wasn’t too hard.”
Flagg now heads to Dallas on a team that has seen significant change and received criticism for Harrison’s moves as general manager. While he hopes their newest pick can come in and impact winning, Harrison also hopes their subsequent success will take the blame off him for trading Doncic in the middle of the season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mavericks’ Nico Harrison Is ‘Hoping’ Flagg Pick Quiets Critics appeared first on Heavy Sports.