After making one of the worst moves in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks caught one of the luckiest breaks ever by winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. Although nothing is finalized, it goes without saying that the Mavericks will select the Duke phenom when the 2025 NBA Draft gets underway.
However, while Flagg will be their main addition, the Mavericks have other plans this offseason as they look to reshape the roster.
Shams Charania Reveals Mavericks’ Plans After Winning Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes
While the Mavericks plan to assemble their next “Big Three” of Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed what else Mavericks GM Nico Harrison wants to do this summer.
If Kyrie Irving opts out of his $42,962,963 player option, Dallas will likely sign him to a new multi-year deal. However, with Irving sidelined until around January due to an ACL tear, the Mavs will also be looking for a plug-and-play point guard.
“I’m told the Mavericks will be pursuing a point guard, whether that’s in the trade market [or] in free agency,” Charania said. “That is a big priority for them because we know Kyrie Irving, he’s targeting potentially sometime in January making his return, so we’ll see which point guard they could have as a plug-in player for them.”
"The Mavericks will be pursuing a point guard, whether that's in the trade market, in free agency."@ShamsCharania on how the Mavs plan to build around their potential "Big 3" đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/ymn7rlb740
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA)
Charania also made it clear that the Mavericks are expected to be aggressive on the trade market, looking to flip some of their tradable contracts for win-now pieces.
With Flagg presumably about to be drafted by the Mavericks, that creates a logjam in their frontcourt. It’s possible someone like Daniel Gafford could be dangled for a point guard during the offseason. Another alternative is trying to add a cheap free-agent point guard who can start while Irving is sidelined and then settle into a reserve role once he’s back.
Tyus Jones, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, D’Angelo Russell, and Dennis Schröder are some of the realistic options that could be within Dallas’ price range this offseason.
Russell is probably their best bet as a free agent if they want a temporary replacement for what Irving does on the floor, though he comes with some baggage. Also, he may not be too big of a fan of just being a fill-in starter until Irving returns, but perhaps he likes the idea of joining a talented contender.
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As far as leadership goes, Paul is probably their best bet. At 40 years old, Paul’s not a star anymore, but he still has one of the highest basketball IQs in the NBA. He could start in Irving’s place and then embrace being a backup when the team is at full strength.
The Mavericks had a complete disaster of a season. After making one of the most infamously bad trades in the history of professional sports, the team now has the chance to pick up some of the pieces. Harrison has been ridiculed in recent months (and understandably so), but now he’ll have a chance to redeem himself this offseason.
