Cooper Flagg has been the consensus No. 1 overall draft pick since he was in high school.

Whether it was the 2026 Draft before he reclassified or the 2025 Draft, there was no doubt that the Maine native would be the top selection, but a 4-time NBA All-Star is pumping the brakes on the hype surrounding the Duke basketball superstar.

“To me, Ace Bailey is the No. 1 pick,” DeMarcus Cousins said on Run It Back on FanDuel TV.

“I like Ace Bailey…I think he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to a Tracy McGrady.”

However, Cousins added that he does not believe that the Dallas Mavericks will keep the No. 1 overall pick and will try and trade it for a proven superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Despite all the noise around the Mavericks organization, Flagg remains the heavy favorite to be the top pick with no talks or rumors of a trade happening.

In fact, while Cooper Flagg has remained the No. 1 selection in every mock draft, Bailey has been a player that has been sliding. Many projected the Rutgers star to be the No. 2 pick in June’s draft but now prospects like Dylan Harper, Bailey’s teammate with the Scarlet Knights, as well as Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe are rising up draft boards.

Duke freshmen Kon Knueppel and Khaman Malauch are also expected to be selected inside the Top 10 of the NBA Draft while former Duke transfer commit Cedric Coward has been one of the fastest risers in the draft through his pre-draft workouts, opting to remain in the NBA Draft instead of playing for Duke next season.

Tyrese Proctor and Sion James are still projected to be second round picks as the hope for the Blue Devils is to have its entire starting five drafted.

The first round of the NBA Draft is on June 25.