So much for suspense.
It was widely expected that the Dallas Mavericks would draft Duke phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on June 25.
But the Mavericks accidentally leaked their plans by revealing their pick on their Website before taking it down.
The social media post was up on Friday and shared to X by Kevin Gray Jr. and Front Office Sports.
Surely, Adam Silver and the folks at the NBA offices weren’t happy about this situation, but it’s not exactly a shocker, either.
Flagg will be joining a team that traded away Luka Doncic at the deadline in February, but was then gifted with the No. 1 pick at the Lottery last month. He could form a “Big 3″ with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis once Irving returns from ACL surgery.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has also been linked to the Knicks although Dallas was one of several teams to decline to make their coach available.
Rutgers stars Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are widely projected to go second and third, respectively, with Harper to the San Antonio Spurs and Bailey to the Philadelphia 76ers, although there has been trade talk surrounding the No. 2 pick.
After reclassifying ahead a year, Flagg entered college at 17 and didn’t turn 18 until December.
He went on to lead Duke in every category -- scoring (19.2 ppg), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4).
In his last college game, Flagg went for 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals but Duke blew a 14-point lead in the final 8 minutes of the national semifinals against Houston.
“It would be a blessing for me to get drafted [by any] team in the NBA,” Flagg said at the Final Four. “That’s a dream of mine, to play in the NBA. I would feel completely blessed and honored to play for any team.”
Flagg would be the fourth No. 1 pick for New Jersey coaching legend Kevin Boyle.
ESPN has compared Flagg to Jayson Tatum, Scottie Pippen and Kawhi Leonard.
“[He’s] positionless,” ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said on “Get Up.” “He is a perfect fit for the NBA. You think Grant Hill, you think Scottie Pippen, you think Jayson Tatum, he fits in the NBA game perfectly.
“He could be a point forward. he can initiate your offense. You can move him all over the floor. Positionless is what I think of Cooper Flagg.”
Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony says the fact that many college players are in their early-to-mid-20s now helped prepare Flagg for life in the NBA.
“I believe so,” he said at the Final Four when he was named to the Naismith Hall of Fame. “He’s already making the impact. In college, guys are 26, 27. It’s not like you’re playing against 17-year old. You’re playing against grown men in college. He had an opportunity to play against the USA [Olympic] Team in practice. You get that experience at 17, 18 years old.
“I just hope we, you, give him some grace. Give him time to develop a couple years.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.