NBA Legend Points to Ex-Mavericks GM in Cooper Flagg ROTY Talk

The Dallas Mavericks have produced their third NBA Rookie of the Year in franchise history.

No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was crowned with the prestigious award on Monday, marking the conclusion of a notable 2025-26 campaign. Though it ended up being very close, Flagg secured the honor over his former Duke teammate and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel.

This is obviously a big moment for Flagg, who took tremendous strides throughout the season. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that the two-way forward will be the Mavericks' franchise player in the years to come.

At the same time, it's tough to forget how we got here. It all dates back to the shocking Luka Doncic trade, which sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a draft pick to Dallas.

The Mavericks were actually three games above .500 when they made the deal. Unfortunately, Davis was injured in his debut, and Kyrie Irving went down shortly after, resulting in Dallas going 13-20 in its final 33 outings.

The franchise was ousted in the NBA play-in games. Despite the disappointing finish, Dallas lucked into Flagg with only a 1.8% chance to win the lottery.

The rest is history at this point but that didn't stop one legend from calling ex-Mavericks GM Nico Harrison's name one final time.

Carmelo Anthony Shouts Out Nico Harrison After Cooper Flagg Wins ROTY

Nico Harrison and Cooper Flag — Oct 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Flagg was announced as the Rookie of the Year on NBC Sports ahead of the playoff matchup between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.

That led to a discussion by the panel, which included host Maria Taylor and former NBA stars such as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony, somewhat jokingly, took his time to mention Harrison as he highlighted Flagg's first year in the league.

Carmelo Anthony shouts out Nico Harrison for Cooper Flagg winning ROY 💀

"Shout out to Nico Harrison for seeing this right here. For understanding his vision. Whatever happened or how it happened, Dallas got something back. They got the #1 pick and a rookie who led the squad in… pic.twitter.com/Bg9qyrANsv
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 27, 2026

"Shout out to Nico Harrison, man. For seeing this right here, for understanding this vision. Whatever happened, how it happened, Dallas got something back," Anthony said. "They got the No. 1 pick. They got a rookie who led the squad in points, rebounds, assists, and steals."

"Like you said, MJ is the only person to ever do that, so when you start talking about Cooper's ceiling and a young face of this league in the NBA, it's Cooper Flagg. So, congratulations to Cooper," Anthony added.

A blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then, right? Harrison doesn't really deserve any accolades for lucking into the clear No. 1 prospect in the NBA Draft.

Instead, it's a laughable end to what Harrison envisioned whenever he traded for Anthony Davis. The infamous executive had plans of pairing Davis and Irving with the goal of competing for a championship. Ultimately, the pair were only on the court together for a single game.

Less than two years ago, the Mavericks were in the NBA Finals and only a few victories away from winning it all. The franchise has a long way to go to reach those heights again.

While it may work out in the end as Flagg grows into a potential perennial All-NBA player, there's no washing away the stain of what could have been if Dallas had hung onto Doncic.

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