Dan Patrick asked Jason Kidd if he would rather have his career or Cooper Flagg's. A Hall of Famer with 10 All-Star appearances and an NBA title chose the 19-year-old without hesitating.
Dan Patrick asked Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd a simple question on Wednesday on "The Dan Patrick Show". Would you rather have your career or Cooper Flagg's career moving forward? Kidd did not hesitate for a second.
"Oh, I'm going to take Cooper Flagg's career."
Patrick reminded him he was a Hall of Famer. Kidd smiled. "Oh, he's going to be one too. He's special."
Isn't that crazy? Jason Kidd won a championship. He made 10 All-Star teams. He is one of the most decorated point guards in the history of professional basketball, and he just told a national audience that he would trade all of it for what Cooper Flagg has in front of him at 19 years old.
Kidd has seen enough to know what he is talking about. Before the season started, he went to the two best validators available and asked them directly. He pulled aside Stephen Curry and LeBron James, both of whom competed with Flagg at Team USA, and asked them point-blank. Can Cooper play?
"They both said he's very special," Kidd said. "And I thought, listening to those guys, but once I gave him the ball early on, I knew that this young man was going to do something special."
The point guard experiment early in the season drew criticism. Kidd pushed back on Wednesday without any defensiveness. He was not trying to make Flagg a point guard. He was trying to prepare him for a moment down the road when the pressure is at its highest, and the team needs someone to bring the ball up the court and make the right play.
"I think it helped the process for next season and years to come," Kidd said.
Flagg just won Rookie of the Year. His coach just said he would give up a Hall of Fame career to have what Flagg has ahead of him. The rest of the Western Conference should be paying close attention.