Did Cooper Flagg take a pay cut to go pro? Comparing his Mavs rookie deal to his NIL earnings at Duke
Cooper Flagg was picked at number 1 in the Draft, but did he take a pay cut to go pro?
After being in pole position all week, Cooper Flagg was selected as the number 1 pick for 2025, making the move from Duke to Dallas.
We all watched him go pro at the Draft, and if he lives up to his potential, the Mavs fans will enjoy watching his on-court displays for years to come.
How much did Cooper Flagg earn at Duke?
Reports suggest that Flagg earned $28 million through two NIL deals during his one year at Duke, with a $13 million deal coming from a New Balance sponsorship and a $15 million deal with Fanatics.
FLAGG CAPTURED!
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 26, 2025
WELCOME TO DALLAS, COOPER! @Academy // #FlaggCaptured #MFFL pic.twitter.com/NJ4RnsR6Lt
How much will he earn at the Mavericks?
According to Spotrac.com, Flagg is expected to sign a four-year, $62.7 million rookie contract with the Dallas Mavericks, which works out at somewhere just under $16 million per year. In other words: a pay cut for going pro.
As a rookie, he can sign four-year deals for as low as 80 percent and as high as 120 percent of the rookie scale, which includes two team options in the third and fourth years. With his suggested numbers, it appears he’s at the higher end of that scale.
OK, it’s not quite as cut-and-dry as that. Being in the NBA, envelopes will be bulging from his agent’s pigeonhole with offers of sponsorships and endorsements, likely bumping up his pay package by a significant amount. He won’t be surviving on ice cubes and breadsticks this year, I can assure you. At present, he also has deals with AT&T, Gatorade and Cort Furniture.
Round 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled to begin today, Thursday, June 26, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The draft will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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