How Cooper Flagg reset Mavs after Davis-Doncic trade

his minutes dallas mavericks debut, anthony davis Throwed down a thunderous putback dunk and delivered an impromptu proclamation to a fan base in the early stages of the grieving process. most amazing business In NBA history.

“I’m here!” Davis shouted as he headed toward the sideline, pointing animatedly toward the American Airlines Center court. “I’m here!”

He was not there then. After dominating the first half that afternoon – when the most prominent story Big protest before the game by angry fans outside the field – Davis went down with a adductor stress In the middle of the third quarter. That injury sidelined the 10-time All-Star for six weeks and set the tone for his brief tenure with the Mavs.

Davis, the returning headliner blockbuster deal The favorite face of that franchise was sent luka doncic till Los Angeles Lakers A few months after leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals, he finally wasn’t on the floor that often.

Davis played only 29 regular season games for the Mavs, plus a few play-in games due to a series of injuries. Davis-kyrie irving Then-Dallas general manager Nico Harrison bet that the pairing would be the foundation of a championship contender for “three to four years”, which played less than three quarters of the time as Irving. Suffered a torn ACL There is still no firm timetable for his return to play in early March and beyond.

Davis’ time in Dallas ended with a whisper At this trade deadline. he was disposed of washington wizards in what amount a huge salary dump Team governor Patrick Dumont made the decision after months of fan outcry fire harrison.

Dallas’ front office, led by co-interim general managers Michael Finley and Matt Ricciardi, did nothing at the trade deadline, making the Doncic deal nothing short of a disaster. The financially motivated step they decided to take was seen entirely through the lens of a teenage phenomenon cooper flag.

The only ray of hope in the Mavs’ misery came because of luck. Teams set to win now fail to capitalize on 1.8% odds winning the draft lotteryBringing the flag to Dallas and giving the franchise another chance to build around a generational prospect. Now the pressure is on the franchise to take wise decisions and not waste the opportunity.

“The intent is very clear: This is the Cooper Flagg era, no ifs and buts,” a high-ranking team source told ESPN.

Return of MAVS The Davis trade essentially included nine figures of financial relief and the roster-building flexibility that comes with it, as well as some moderate draft capital, including Oklahoma City’s first-round pick in June’s draft and Golden State’s top 20-protected pick in 2030. second year guard aj johnson He is the only player acquired by the Mavs in the trade whose contract is not expiring.

Dallas went from having the NBA’s fourth-highest payroll this season to falling under the luxury tax by adding guards D’Angelo Russell, jaden hardy And Dante Exum In business. The franchise’s estimated payroll was $326 million, including the luxury tax, which made up almost half of that. It also gained access to the non-taxpayer midstream exception of $15.1 million and the business exception of about $21 million, both of which could help as it builds a future around the flag.

“I think we have to look at ourselves honestly in the mirror and see where we were and where we wanted to be,” Ricciardi said after the trade. “Sometimes the path isn’t straight. Sometimes you have to take a detour to get where you want to go.”

when flag was draftedHe hoped to begin his career on a playoff team with Davis and eventually Irving, both former No. 1 picks and future Hall of Famers.

Instead, Davis played in only 20 games this season. Irving remains an important part of the Mavs’ plans, but it is uncertain whether he will play this season. The popular opinion among rival officials is that the Mavs, who are seventh in the lottery standings with a 19-34 record, would be wise to hold off Irving’s return until training camp, even if he is cleared to return this season.

“It’s obviously different than I expected, but I’m doing my best,” said Flagg, the Rookie of the Year front-runner who is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. “It was hard in the beginning, losing so much. … Obviously, it still is. I’m a competitor, but I think for me it’s about learning from the losses as much as I can and taking away the positives.”

Mavs started exploring trading options for Davis shortly after Harrison was fired in November, when Dallas’ record was 3–8 and Davis was recovering from a calf injury. Davis’ max contract – which includes a $62.8 million player option for the 2027–28 season – and his desire for a lucrative extension and durability issues made finding value extremely difficult.

Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports and Davis’ agent, was determined to land his client another payday when he became extension-eligible this summer. He tried to help negotiate a deal with the Mavs atlanta hawks And Toronto RaptorsBut discussions with the Hawks went dormant after Davis suffered a suffered ligament damage in his left hand During the January 8 defeat utah jazzThe Mavs announced that the injury would heal by the end of February. Any deal with the Raptors would require the Mavs to shed significant salary after this season, making Toronto tougher as a trade partner.

The Mavs negotiated with the Wizards without the knowledge of Davis and Paul, who did not know until the trade was completed that Washington was a serious suitor.

Sources said there was some concern on Dumont’s part about how Mavs fans would react to a Davis deal that did not include premium draft picks or players who fit into the franchise’s long-term plans as part of the return.

But Flagg’s presence and production — he’s on pace to join Doncic, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as the only rookies to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists per game since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger — offers hope and some patience. The fan base, overall, seems willing to buy into the build-up around the flag. It helped that Flagg became the leading three-game scorer by a teenager in NBA history when Davis was traded.

“The runway is long,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd, whose input on personnel decisions is valued by Dumont. “He’s 19 years old, developing his understanding of the NBA, the schedule, the physicality. His game is very impressive, and now it’s up to us to find the right pieces for him.”

it remains It must be determined who, exactly, will be in charge of finding those players to suit up for the flag.

DuMont is examining several candidates in an extensive search. Sources said it includes internal candidates and several executives with a proven track record of successfully running a team’s basketball operations department, including some who currently serve in those roles for other franchises.

It is expected that Dumont will decide on Harrison’s permanent successor after Dallas’ season ends. The predraft process will be important for the 19-34 Mavs, who are destined to land in the middle of the lottery standings and also have the pick of Oklahoma City, who will likely be the last pick in Round 1.

“You look at our roster now, we have an incredible player in Cooper Flagg,” Finley said last week. “It’s our job to put the right pieces around him. When you have draft capital, it gives you the ability to go out and put the right pieces around him to make our team – as I keep emphasizing – a championship contender.”

However, Dallas does not have the option of traditional reconstruction during the Flagg’s early years; This is the final year that Flagg is on his rookie contract, with the team having control of their first-round pick.

The picks were part of the deals the Mavs made to make around Doncic: Dallas’ 2027 pick is safe if it falls in the top two but is outstanding otherwise. charlotte hornets As Part of pj washington Business. Oklahoma City has swap rights with the Mavs from serving as a facilitator through 2028 Daniel Gafford in deal 2024. 2029 pick sent to Mavs Brooklyn Nets Irving is now the asset in the deal Houston Rockets. San Antonio Spurs There are 2030 swap rights with Dallas, acquired in a three-way sign-and-trade deal to take over the expiring contract of Reggie Bullock Jr. grant williamsWhose Dallas tenure was even shorter than Davis’.

Coincidentally, the night after the Davis trade, the Mavs got a close-up look at a franchise that made the highly anticipated No. 1 overall pick.

Due to years of planning – including intentionally dismantling the roster to begin the rebuilding process – the Spurs had the luxury of having a surplus of first-round picks. Victor WembanyamaThe arrival of, gives them far more options than Dallas has at their disposal and drastically increases their flexibility with trade deadline manipulation.

But the Mavs could copy the two most significant transactions the Spurs made in going from a 22-win team in Wembanyama’s rookie year to second place in the West at this point in his third season.

Irving’s eventual return could be the Mavs’ version of the Spurs’ trade for the former All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox.

The Spurs’ struggles a few years ago made him ready to be drafted Stephen Castle With the No. 4 pick, San Antonio was given a co-star on the same timeline as Wembanyama. It is important that the Mavs find young talent worthy of a long-term pairing with Flagg with their upcoming lottery pick in a draft that is widely considered to be loaded with top talent within the league.

The hardest part of building a contender is finding a legitimate cornerstone. The Mavs have had some luck – but some patience will be needed now.

“You can’t just do everything,” said Vembanyama, snapping his fingers and speaking from experience. “You have to trust your organization.”