2025 draft thread: THE MAVS SELECT COOPER FLAGG

[KillerLeft]

Flagg is already 6'9" and an ELITE help defender.  Playing him anywhere other than the 4 is wasting his talents IMO.  He's like a much better version of Aaron Gordon, who was wasting away at the SF position in Orlando.  Trying to play him out of position so you can accommodate role players like PJ Washington or Daniel Gafford is disgusting.

Although I can see Kidd/Nico starting a front court of Lively, AD, Flagg.  I'm fine if they start that way....

This is now the question that matters, imho. I don't even care about how the cap/tax of it all works until I know whether we're living in the AD-5/CF-4 world (that's where I'd want to live) or the Lively-5/AD-4/CF-3 world (worth a try, I suppose). 

Either way, AD is GOING to play more 5 than he did last year because they are for sure not going to keep both Gafford and Lively after this. With Flagg in the mix of the front court, AD on the roster at one of the highest salary numbers in the league and PJW, Gafford and Lively all needing to be paid fairly soon, I'd say it's a CERTAINTY one of those last three are moved this summer, and wouldn't be shocked if two of them are. 

Knowing what the Mavs believe is Flagg's BEST position (hopefully, they will think in those terms) will go far in determining how they proceed, imo. The problem is that it might take a year or two for them to decide. It took them 2-3 years to decide Dirk was a 4, and almost a full year to decide Luka was a hybrid 1/4. If you remember, the first thing Carlisle tried was playing Luka at the 4 almost full time. 

Definitely in the realm of "good problems," and frankly, it's nice to have new things to wonder/argue about around here. 

I think RTG is right, personally, but I don't know that this current Mavs think tank will agree. I kinda think they won't, actually. I think the first approach will be to try to make Flagg fit in with their current view of AD. That might/might not be the right approach, but I'm 97% sure that's what they'll do. So, unless AD, himself, looks at Flagg as a reason to admit that he, AD, should play mostly 5, I'd say there's a high likelihood that Flagg is going to be focusing on the 3 a lot early.