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Duke superstar Cooper Flagg is widely regarded as the top prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft. Mocks and projections have had him going off the board at No. 1 overall since before he even suited up as a freshman for the Blue Devils. 

But former NBA standout DeMarcus Cousins sees things differently. He's astronomically high on Rutgers product Ace Bailey. 

"To me, Ace Bailey is the No. 1 pick," Cousins said on FanDuel's "Run it Back" show. "I think Ace Bailey's the No. 1 pick. I think he's the closest thing we've seen to a Tracy McGrady." 

Cousins is quite bullish on Bailey's potential. McGrady, a former top-10 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, was a seven-time All-Star with the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets from 2001-07. He also led the NBA in scoring in 2003 and 2004 and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Bailey started 30 games as a true freshman at Rutgers and averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, the latter of which led the Scarlet Knights. He was the No. 2 prospect nationally in the 2024 recruiting class -- behind Flagg -- and is the highest-ranked player to ever sign with Rutgers. 

Cousins also predicted that Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison will trade the No. 1 overall pick. The Mavericks made the biggest leap in NBA Draft Lottery history despite having just a 1.8% chance to win the top pick. 

Previous reports from ESPN indicate that the Mavericks do not have any interest in trading the pick away and that they have their eyes on Flagg at No. 1 overall.