On the night of the NBA Draft Lottery, it was clear that Cooper Flagg was quite surprised.
But really, the Duke freshman was just behaving like the rest of us, none of whom could quite believe that the Dallas Mavericks had somehow lucked into the No. 1 spot, and with it, the right to draft Flagg.
New reporting from ESPN suggests that, as the dust has settled, Flagg is excited about the opportunity at hand.
“All indications from Flagg's camp are that he is thrilled with potentially joining a playoff-contending team with strong veterans, despite initially appearing shocked by the lottery's outcome,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony writes. “Sources told ESPN that Flagg is scheduling a visit to Dallas.
”Though Flagg initially looked shocked by the results of Monday's draft lottery, sources told ESPN that his camp realized how fortunate he is to land in Dallas. Flagg is said to be thrilled by the idea of joining a playoff-caliber roster with strong veterans and a team that has a void at the small forward position. The Mavericks have a need for shot creators and will need Flagg to shoulder significant offensive responsibility as a rookie (similar to what we saw at Duke), which will be great for his long-term development.”
MORE: Lakers’ biggest recent mistake rears its ugly head again
It is certainly a drastically different outcome than Flagg may have anticipated. The three teams with the most likely chance to win the No. 1 pick were the lowly Jazz, Wizards and Hornets.
Instead, the lottery had a wild top-three shakeup, with the order now going Mavs, Spurs, 76ers.
The No. 1 pick has been floated in trade rumors, but various undertones seem to suggest Dallas will probably stay put and select the generational talent available to them.
Flagg is both the youngest and the best player in his draft class. He led Duke in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks en route to the Final Four.
Now, his long-anticipated NBA future is at hand. No one expected it to be in Dallas, but it seems Flagg is ready to keep all his blue and join the Mavericks.
MORE: Russell Westbrook's decision on contract, retirement gets confusing update