NBA rumors: Cooper Flagg's Mavericks linked to Chris Paul as Clippers struggle to find trade partner.
DALLAS - Earlier this NBA season, the Los Angeles Clippers shot legendary point guard Chris Paul into the sun, deciding that the 40-year-old's locker-room clashes were too much to take.
Now the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline looms, and there are rumors that would have Paul finding a new home ...
Like, with the Dallas Mavs?
Los Angeles-based insider Ramona Shelburne, a respected ESPN voice, suggests that the Mavericks, makes sense as a landing spot for Chris Paul.
“I think the Dallas Mavericks make a lot of sense,” Shelburne said on ESPN LA’s radio show. “He worked out with Cooper Flagg in the offseason. They’re represented by the same agency. I think Cooper likes him.”
Paul has taken a career-long tour of NBA cities, experiencing success with the Clippers and the New Orleans Hornets before finding himself bouncing about, with stints in Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Golden State.
This season, Paul returned to L.A. on a one-year deal but reportedly butted heads with coach Tyronn Lue and others.
The questions for the Mavs - who surely would add him only as a post-deadline Clippers cut - are threefold.
One, would he serve as a mentor and add to the growth of Flagg, the 19-year-old sensation who simply must be the centerpiece of everything Dallas does?
The rookie delivered another dominant performance on Tuesday, scoring 36 points with nine rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in a 110-100 loss to Boston at American Airlines Center. ... as Flagg is continuing a stretch unlike anything a teenager has produced in league history.
Over his last three games, Flagg has scored 119 points and become the first teenager ever to post three consecutive 30-point outings.
Two, or, because he plays point guard, would he take away ball-handling work that coach Jason Kidd clearly believes is key to Flagg's development?
And three, maybe he helps the have-not Mavs (now 19-31) win a few games ... but is that really preferable to them taking their lumps via "Organic Tanking'' © on the way to a better pick in the 2026 NBA Draft?
We do see Shelburne's mention of the agent connection as valuable; as much as anybody, agents run this league.
But the Mavs need to decide what's best for Flagg, not what's best for his agency. And to us, Chris Paul spending a couple of months in a Dallas uniform amounts to nothing more than organizational wheel-spinning.