The Dallas Mavericks have plenty of decisions to make, especially with the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 5. One of the players mentioned as a potential trade is forward Naji Marshall. Recently, his name has been floated as someone the Los Angeles Lakers are keeping an eye on.
However, Marshall wants to spend his days playing for the Mavericks and especially alongside Cooper Flagg, per Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Sports.
Essentially, he wants to stay to bear witness to Flagg, because he is going to “create history”. Undoubtedly, Flagg's presence has elevated the Mavericks' profile ever since the infamous trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
In June 2025, Flagg, the top college basketball player out of Duke, was the No.1 pick in the NBA Draft.
Since then, Flagg has blossomed into arguably the NBA's top rookie. He is averaging 19.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Flagg was selected to play in the NBA Rising Stars game during the All-Star weekend in Los Angeles on Feb 13.
Meanwhile, Marshall is averaging 14.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The Mavericks are 19-30 and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Marshall is in his sixth NBA season. In 2020, he went undrafted coming out of Xavier University. Eventually, Marshall landed a spot with the New Orleans Pelicans and was with them until 2024.
After a year in the NBA G League, Marshall was picked up by the Mavericks for the 2024-2025 NBA season. On July 6, 2024, Marshall signed a three-year $27 million contract.
In his year, he averaged 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
