Mavericks just signaled no-brainer Cooper Flagg move fans feared wouldn't happen

In an era of unpredictability in the NBA, uncertainty as to what a team may do next has never been higher after the Dallas Mavericks opted to trade their 25-year-old franchise superstar in Luka Doncic. This set a new precedent that truly anything can happen in the NBA, no matter how unfathomable or financially unattainable a move may look at face value, and the parity of the league is also at an all-time high.

However, after Dallas secured the No. 1 pick in this year's draft and the ability to select consensus first pick Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks won't be playing with their food any longer. It's already been reported that the Mavericks 100 percent plan on taking Flagg, as they'd be foolish to pass up on another potential franchise player, and a recent Mavericks podcast put the nail in the coffin that this is the decision the Mavericks will be making.

The Mavericks recently started a series on their official YouTube channel called "Good Pick", and the first episode released yesterday featured VP of Content Mike Marshall alongside longtime ESPN high school basketball play-by-play announcer Ted Emrich.

Mavericks podcast virtually confirms that Dallas will draft Cooper Flagg

Marshall brought on Emrich to discuss Flagg and Dallas drafting him, as Emrich had watched Flagg eight times in high school while calling games. Emrich gave some great insights into the type of character and young man Flagg is, as he had some exclusive anecdotes from his time in Maine, as well as with Monteverde Academy.

There truly were some great soundbites Mavericks fans can look at from this podcast if they want to learn more about Dallas' prospective No. 1 overall pick, but the podcast also confirms Dallas will be drafting Flagg just by its mere existence. There was literally a Flagg jersey from his time at Monteverde displayed fashionably in the studio on a chair, and both Marshall and Emrich were lauding the potential of Flagg on this Mavericks team throughout the entire episode.

It would be different if this series weren't directly sponsored by the Mavericks, but considering Dallas is already releasing an entire podcast series dedicated to Flagg and his journey to the draft, it's clear the franchise has echoed to everyone inside the organization that they plan on drafting Flagg. The Mavs could end up making a video about a few other different players who are at the top of NBA big boards to be part of this series, but the fact that Flagg is featured on the first episode, along with the way that Marshall spoke about him for the entire episode, speaks volumes.

Rarely is a player ever good enough for their to be no inner turmoil in the front office as to who the organization should select with the first pick, but Flagg has the potential to be a two-way star on the caliber of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jayson Tatum one day, and the national media (and Mavericks) have seen Flagg's potential and work ethic since he first popped onto the scene early in his high school career.

While some fans were scared Nico Harrison may opt to trade the pick to fit his win-now timeline and other fans think the lottery is simply rigged due to the Mavericks practically being rewarded with the first pick after committing the No. 1 cardinal sin as a franchise by trading Doncic, the Mavericks understand just how lucky they are to be in this position and clearly will relaying their selection of Flagg to the league office once the draft rolls around on June 25.