2025 NBA Draft: Should the Dallas Mavericks Trade Their First Pick?
by Tyler Doty | by Tyler Doty
The Dallas Mavericks winning the draft lottery – and getting the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg – was the kind of fortuitous event that had hoops fans questioning the legitimacy of the lottery process.
Dallas was weeks removed from trading away five-time First Team All-NBA selection and franchise icon Luka Dončić. Injuries to Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, along with an irate fanbase, left the Mavs in perhaps the bleakest situation in the NBA. Entering the draft lottery after missing the playoffs, some of the animosity towards Nico Harrison is bound to quieten after this stroke of luck.
Flagg projects to be a generational talent. He’s a do-it-all wing with MVP-level upside. Draft experts also believe he has the skillset, maturity, and athleticism to immediately be an effective starter on a contender, making him an asset alongside Davis and Irving once the latter is healthy.
After Harrison has shortened Dallas’ window of contention, this lifeline has given another chance to extend it. Trading away Flagg shouldn’t be considered, but can anything be off the table when Harrison flipped for Dončić for Davis, Max Christie, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick?
It takes a brave soul to make any NBA picks for the 2025 offseason. If Dončić can be traded without asking out, surely anything is possible. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee is uncertain at best. The Phoenix Suns are clearly going to try and move on from Kevin Durant. The Boston Celtics are a wild-card as they face a lost 2025-26 season after Jayson Tatum’s injury.
The Durant Route
If, and it’s a massive if, the Mavericks are looking to double down on a short-term window with Irving and Davis, reuniting Durant with his close friend Irving seems like a possible route.
It might not be quite as wild as the Dončić trade, but it’s in the same ballpark. Giving up Flagg for a late-career Durant would be outrageous, particularly as the Mavs would need to include Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Max Christie and other pieces to match the salary if they didn’t put Davis or Irving in the trade.
It doesn’t get more all-in that adding Durant for his age-37 season. With Irving’s injury, it would be impossible to make sense of this trade unless the Mavericks were getting an array of other assets back in a multi-team deal.
Renewed Giannis Interest
It’s no secret the Mavs were positioning themselves for a run at Giannis a few years ago. With Damian Lillard out for all of next season and the Bucks unable to make it out the first round in the last three years, the Greek Freak might be considering a future elsewhere for the first time.
Antetokounmpo has been a First Team All-NBA selection in seven consecutive years. If he becomes available, the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are likely to propose packages with a catalogue of picks and young talent. The Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, and Orlando Magic can offer high-upside players.
In Flagg, Dallas can perhaps offer the best young player. Milwaukee will want a talent to build around if Giannis wants out, and there is no better way to start a rebuild than a generational wing like Flagg.
Like Durant, the Mavs would have to get rid of all of their depth. The Giannis and Davis fit could be clunky. This makes more sense than a Durant trade would, but it is still too big a risk for Harrison given how little would be left on the roster.
Flagg Can Rescue Dallas
In a sane world, Dallas doesn’t even field calls about Flagg. The NBA is not a sane world.
While it would be surprising if the Mavs made another unjustifiable trade, it cannot be ruled out at this stage.
Harrison shouldn’t even be listening to offers, though. He has been given a path out of his self-made chaos. Flagg, in theory, can carry the franchise once Irving and Davis have aged and/or departed, replacing Dončić in the role of long-term centerpiece.
The Mavericks were boxed into a future of short-term contention and long-term pain. Lottery luck has changed that. Trading Flagg could set the franchise back even further than the Dončić deal did.
