The Dallas Mavericks are garnering plenty of interest before the NBA trade deadline, although there are three players whom they have no interest in moving on from.
Even though the Dallas Mavericks have a recent track record of trading away the face of the franchise and best player for pennies on the dollar, fans can rest easy knowing that Cooper Flagg will not be dealt away.
It should go without saying, but the added certainty should put a traumatized fanbase at ease: Flagg will not be traded anytime soon.
The first overall pick, and savior of the Mavs, is averaging 18.8 points this season as a do-all forward on both ends of the floor.
While Daniel Gafford, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving have all been included in trade rumors this season, the Mavericks seem bent on keeping at least three players on the roster, Flagg included.
Marshall, Christie Join Cooper Flagg
This season, Naji Marshall has remained one of the best defenders on the roster and is averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game. He would command 'extraordinary' value if the Mavericks were to make him available, but they aren't eager to part with the forward.
He's not the only player the Mavericks want to keep.
“Naji Marshall and Max Christie have emerged as prized members of Dallas’ post-Luka Doncic core alongside Rookie of the Year favorite Cooper Flagg,” insider Marc Stein reported.
Christie, in his first full season in Dallas, is shooting a red-hot 45.5% from deep while posting 13.3 points per game, both career-highs. At only 22 years old, he has plenty of room to keep improving.
“When it comes to Marshall — who is in Year 2 of a rather attractive three-year, $27 million pact — Dallas is said to be unwilling to listen to any trade approaches that don’t feature a future first-round pick," Stein added. “And when it comes to Christie, Dallas is mostly focused on the 22-year-old earning an invite to the league’s annual 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend given his 45.5% conversion rate on nearly six 3s per game."
A core of Flagg, Marshall, and Christie is still missing a young center and point guard, although Dereck Lively II should be back from his foot injury next season. On top of that, Irving could be a stopgap solution for the rest of the season, and Dallas could land a high-level, long-term point guard in the 2026 NBA Draft, where they are expected to have a prime pick for the second year in a row.