Cooper Flagg undoubtedly has the highest ceiling of any player in the 2025 NBA Draft, as he is poised to be a star for the Dallas Mavericks right away next season, but he may not be considered the biggest steal of the draft for Dallas. The entire world knew that Flagg would go No. 1 overall to Dallas long before Adam Silver announced it, but no one expected a different move that was made in the shadows after the second round of the draft concluded.
Dallas signed Ryan Nembhard to a two-way deal after the 2025 NBA Draft ended, and it was quickly clear that he should've been drafted through his performance at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.