NBA trade deadline: The moves the Mavericks should make to build around Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg is indeed the real deal.

The 6-foot-9 forward, who was picked first in last year’s NBA Draft, entered the league with lofty expectations and has seemingly made a reality of them. That doesn’t happen often.

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Flagg’s production and ability to adapt to the NBA are wildly encouraging, to the point where the Dallas Mavericks can now do something they perhaps didn’t feel comfortable doing immediately after the draft:

Build around the Maine native.

It’s time for Dallas to build around Cooper Flagg. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

No more attention to trio of aging stars

The Mavericks have a cast of older stars, including Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, and have lived with the misplaced idea that an aging team is closer to a championship than a young one.

(The idea of veterans being more championship proven isn’t wrong, but when one is nursing an ACL tear, another is constantly in and out of the lineup due to a myriad of injuries, and the last one is no longer playing like a star on any level, it’s difficult to justify such a position.)

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With the emergence of Flagg, there are now no more excuses to hang on to the above trio. In fact, it’d be irresponsible to do so, as that would just waste everyone’s time.

Of course, pivoting off that trio is easier said than done.

While we aren’t sure if Irving will ever return as the star he once was, he at least plays as an on-/off-ball combo to such an extent that teams close to a title will likely bring his name up in internal meetings as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches. But as far as trade value goes, the Mavericks can’t justify a high price given Irving’s ACL tear and the fact he turns 34 in March.

Thompson doesn’t have much trade value, as he’s about to turn 36 and manages just 11.7 points per game while struggling defensively. His best days are clearly behind him, and even if his financial compensation ($16.6 million this season, and $17.4 million next) is fairly modest, you can easily make the case that he’ll get targeted defensively in the postseason, without…

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Author : Morten Stig Jensen

Publish date : 2026-01-28 14:07:00

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