When the Dallas Mavericks shockingly won the NBA draft lottery on May 12, the basketball world knew that if the Mavs kept the pick, they were almost certainly going to take the consensus best prospect, Cooper Flagg, out of Duke.
Flagg led Duke to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, a Final Four appearance and was named The Associated Press’ national college player of the year for the 2024-25 season.
Even NBA veterans are high on perhaps the most surefire top pick since Victor Wembanyama.
In an appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, 12-time NBA All-Star point guard Chris Paul sat down for an interview and gave his thoughts on Flagg.
Chris Paul said he’s trained with Cooper Flagg in LA a couple of times this offseason:
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) June 5, 2025
“He’s as real as d…”
(via @PatMcAfeeShow)
pic.twitter.com/4qa4U9CCEw
“I’m in LA right now, and Cooper Flagg has been out there. I’ve been in the gym with him a couple of times. He’s as real as d,” Paul said.
The praise from Paul is particularly interesting considering he is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the 20th season in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, and rumors have been swirling around the Mavericks targeting him.
Mavericks Beat Writer Mike Curtis, in addressing the Paul to Dallas rumors, said, “San Antonio owns the second pick behind Dallas and could opt to select Rutgers guard Dylan Harper to pair with Fox and Castle. Paul, 40, appeared in all 82 games this season and could use that impressive feat to finish his career elsewhere. NBA insider Marc Stein reported last month that Paul is “a name to watch” for the Mavericks, alongside Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball. Paul would be a quality addition for the Mavericks’ veteran-heavy roster.”
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