Mavericks trade rumors: Dallas hellbent on retaining Cooper Flagg, even declining chance to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo 

The basketball gods have blessed the Dallas Mavericks with the opportunity to acquire Cooper Flagg and they are not going to fumble that chance, it seems. They have reportedly shown no interest in trading away the number one pick in this year's draft, even for an established star who could turn them into instant contenders.

As per Marc Stein, the Mavs are not going to trade their pick, not even for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is widely regarded as one of the best players in the league. He already has two MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year award and one Finals MVP award to his name.

Giannis is only 30 years old. So he is the perfect fit for a self-proclaimed 'win now' team like Dallas, next to Anthony Davis (32) and Kyrie Irving (33). He has the talents to be a double-double machine on any given night.

However, it seems like the Mavericks are determined to correct the backlash from the Luka Doncic trade by acquiring another franchise superstar. Cooper Flagg has massive potential, but it could take some time before that translates into Dallas becoming title contenders.

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Cooper Flagg will join a fellow Duke product if he joins the Dallas Mavericks

There's still a sliver of a chance that the Dallas Mavericks trade the #1 pick away or select someone other than Cooper Flagg. While that remains a possibility, Flagg has already entertained the thought of donning a Mavs jersey for his rookie season.

In an article by Grant Afseth for the Dallas Hoops Journal, Flagg was quoted talking about his potential fit with the Mavs.

"Not everybody gets to go through this, so I just feel really blessed," Flagg said. "As far as Dallas goes, they’ve got a lot of really good pieces."

He was also quoted talking about the idea of learning from Dereck Lively II, who also was a Blue Devil in college.

"To be able to learn from D-Live—that’s pretty cool," Flagg added. "So I think it would be a really cool opportunity."

Lively II and Flagg's college careers did not overlap. Lively II played for Duke during the 2022-23 season. He was drafted 12th overall by the OKC Thunder, but was traded to the Mavs on draft night.

Meanwhile, Flagg suited up for the Blue Devils during the 2024-25 campaign, solidifying himself as the consensus number one pick in the upcoming draft.

Interestingly, Flagg's acquisition would make him the third Duke product to actively play for the Mavs this coming season. Kyrie Irving, the first pick during the 2011 draft, also played his lone collegiate season at Duke.