After Dallas landed the #1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft lottery, there was no question who the team would select. Cooper Flagg, the standout from Duke, was everyone’s clear choice for the top spot.
The Mavericks got lucky with Flagg just months after GM Nico Harrison made the shocking move to trade away superstar Luka Doncic. Flagg will start the 2025-26 season at small forward, but things might change once Kyrie Irving returns from injury. NBA insider Marc Stein believes Cooper Flagg could actually slide over to shooting guard next season.
Flagg at shooting guard would be a game-changer
“I do think that at some point the starting lineup will be tested with Cooper [Flagg] at the 2 and PJ [Washington] at the 3. I feel pretty strongly about that,” Stein reported.
This would be huge for Dallas.
Flagg spent just one year at Duke before jumping to the NBA, but what a year it was. He was named a consensus All-American and won National Player of the Year.
In 37 games for the Blue Devils, the 18-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
He also shot a solid 38.5% from three-point range.
Simply put, Flagg was the most NBA-ready player in his draft class by a mile.
When the season tips off, Flagg will likely start at small forward since Kyrie Irving is still recovering from an ACL tear. D’Angelo Russell will run point and Klay Thompson will play shooting guard. But that lineup could look very different once Kyrie returns.
Stein doubled down on his prediction: “I think at some point the starting lineup will be tested with Cooper [Flagg] at the 2 and PJ [Washington] at the 3. I feel pretty strongly about that.”
Moving Flagg to shooting guard would give Dallas a massive advantage. At 6’9″, he’d tower over most shooting guards in the league. With this change, P.J. Washington would slide to small forward, Anthony Davis would play power forward, and Derrick Lively would man the center position.
This potential shift raises questions about Klay Thompson’s role. The veteran sharpshooter was originally brought in to complement Luka Doncic, but those plans went out the window when Doncic was shipped to the Lakers.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has already suggested Thompson might not be happy if his role gets reduced.
We’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out in Dallas.
