An Open Letter to Cooper Flagg Before He Leaves for Dallas

Before our ‘Maine Event’ becomes the NBA’s ‘Main Event’ and heads down to the Lone Star State, we just wanted to make this clear.

Listen—before we continue, we should probably make sure everyone’s on the same page, same playing field, same equipment, same everything.

Cooper Flagg, if you’ve somehow never heard of him—first off, how? Second, he’s not just some highly-touted college prospect who’ll fill a role; he’s a franchise changer.

He’s the kind of player who makes your team better on day one, which is exactly why several NBA teams intentionally got worse in the 2024–25 season, hoping to increase their chances of drafting him.

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That’s how the NBA Draft Lottery works—the worse your record, the better your odds at landing the #1 overall pick.

This year, the Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets all had the best shot at that top spot with 14% odds each. But none of those squads walked away with what they spent the last 365 days building toward—the Dallas Mavericks, with just a 1.8% chance, won the lottery and the presumed rights to Cooper Flagg.

Of course, we’ll cheer on Cooper Flagg no matter where he ends up, but we’ve got a few words of advice about his potential new home.

Yes, the Dallas Mavericks have officially won the lottery—and for those who may not understand the consequences of this, both diehard basketball fans and those just getting into the game should hear us when we say: the rich just keep getting richer.

The Dallas Mavericks are a legitimately good basketball team, even with a 39-43 record, which still puts them miles ahead of the previously mentioned struggling squads like the Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets, all of whom lost over 60 games this past season.

While Dallas might not have a clear identity after the shocking trade of Luka Dončić — the man who led them to the NBA Finals just a year ago, even in a losing effort to Cooper’s favorite team, the Boston Celtics — it’s worth remembering that, while other teams were tanking, the Mavericks came just three wins shy of an NBA title.

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And now, just a year removed from nearly winning a championship, the Dallas Mavericks are seemingly back—same franchise, slightly different roster, but the same logo on their chest.

They’re still the Mavericks, and now they’ve got former #1 picks Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis alongside the expected top pick, Cooper Flagg. If things go well in Dallas, this is a team that could easily make another deep run.

But that’s a big ‘if,’ because nothing in sports is guaranteed—except, apparently, death, taxes, and a generational white dude starring for the Mavericks.

In 1998, it was Dirk Nowitzki, who landed in Dallas via a draft-day trade with Milwaukee. In 2018, Luka Dončić arrived the same way, courtesy of a deal with Atlanta. And now, in 2025, Dallas finally holds the top pick outright and can choose their guy without making any moves or shuffling pieces.

They finally have the freedom to do what they want—but do they know what they want? And can we trust that we know that they know what they want? Following?

The Dallas Mavericks, once known for their consistency and loyalty, are no longer that team in 2025. Less than a year after nearly winning another title, they stunned the basketball world by trading away the very player who helped them get there, doing so quietly, questionably, and without fully exploring the market.

Sure, they now hold the #1 overall pick and are expected to draft Cooper Flagg, but that stroke of luck came from a 1.8% chance, not from any sort of front office master plan.

Flagg is a generational talent, and up here in Maine, we’re pulling for him hard—but even the most exciting new chapter can come with baggage.

It’s like getting into a relationship with someone whose last one ended because they cheated: yeah, this feels different, and maybe it is, but the reason you’re here at all is because of what they did to someone else.

You can fall in love, you can have fun, but deep down, you’ll always know this whole thing only started because of betrayal—and no matter how bright the future looks, that truth is still sitting quietly in the corner of the room.

Again, we’re rooting for you, Cooper. We want—and know—that you’ll shine wherever you end up. And just because it’s this organization doesn’t change that.

What are your thoughts on Cooper Flagg’s upcoming landing spot? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to join the conversation by messaging us on the app.

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