Mychal Thompson makes outlandish Cooper Flagg, Lakers prediction
On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks stunned the NBA by winning the draft lottery and therefore the right to take Cooper Flagg, the Duke University freshman phenom, with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft.
It was a huge piece of serendipity for a franchise that had been beleaguered ever since it had sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for the bargain basement price of Anthony Davis, Max Christie and one future first-round draft pick. Fans and pundits alike have been lambasting the franchise ever since, and shortly after the trade, it suffered several injuries to key players and ended up missing the playoffs.
Now, assuming they do take Flagg, the Mavericks should have a bright immediate and long-term future, even though star guard Kyrie Irving will miss at least the first half of next season due to a torn ACL. Flagg is a do-everything 6-foot-9 forward who excels on both ends of the floor and has been compared by some to Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.
Former Lakers big man and two-time NBA champion Mychal Thompson predicted in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Dallas will trade Flagg to the Lakers in five years.
This was an obvious dig at the Mavs for sending Doncic to L.A. after Doncic had spent six-and-a-half seasons with them. Thompson is a known jokester, so one has to assume he posted that comment at least partly in jest.
This time, however, the Mavs appear to have a strong team, at least on paper, starting with Davis and Irving (when he returns). That cast includes big men Daniel Gafford (who has been mentioned as a trade candidate for L.A.) and Dereck Lively II and forward P.J. Washington Jr.
At the very least, Lively, Washington and Christie can be building blocks around Flagg for the next five-plus years even after Davis and Irving have moved on.
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