DeMarcus Cousins claims Cooper Flagg shouldn’t be drafted No. 1 overall

One of the most shocking developments in the NBA recently has been the Dallas Mavericks landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 Draft. The expectation is that they will draft Duke's Cooper Flagg, who has long been touted as the consensus top pick in this year's draft class.

There are other lottery picks like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey who are highly regarded in terms of their potential, but neither has been picked to go first overall. Or at least they weren't, until DeMarcus Cousins was asked about who he thinks should get the honour of being picked at No. 1.

"I like Ace Bailey," Cousins said. "To me, Ace Bailey is the No. 1 pick. I think Ace Bailey's No. 1 pick. I think he's the closest thing we've seen to Tracy McGrady."

Bailey averaged 17.6 points per game in 30 starts for Rutgers' University during his one year in college. While he does have tremendous upside, picking him over Cooper Flagg is quite the wild take.

Cousins didn't stop there, though. He went on to suggest that the Mavericks wouldn't even keep the first overall pick, suggesting that GM Nico Harrison should trade it.

"I said from the beginning, man, this was a move from up top," Cousins said about the Mavs winning the lottery. "I mean, Kevin Durant wouldn't be a bad move there either... Nico's already on record saying it's a three-year window. Cooper Flagg doesn't fit that window, KD does."

These are some scorching hot takes from the former All-Star, and it's hard to imagine the Mavericks doing either of these things. And even in a world where the Mavs do trade away the No. 1 overall pick, any team that gets it is almost certain to draft Flagg, no matter who Cousins compares Bailey to.

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