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The Dallas Mavericks got some shocking NBA Draft Lottery luck, beating the 1.8% odds and winning the No. 1 pick and the right to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg. However, given Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison's shocking Luka Doncic trade and his apparent desire to go all in right now, speculation quickly turned to a possible trade of the top pick for a proven NBA star.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the name that immediately came to mind now that he's “open-minded” about a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, but ESPN's Jay Williams listed two other players on Tuesday's edition of Get Up. And that's where things got a bit weird.
.@RealJayWilliams details why the Mavericks should consider trading the top pick instead of drafting Cooper Flagg 👀 pic.twitter.com/VCZPejOlQM
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 13, 2025
Not only did Williams make the Giannis suggestion, but he also brought up Devin Booker and … Tyrese Maxey?
A Mavericks trade for Antetokounmpo is at least defensible since he's still a legit MVP candidate, and pairing him with Anthony Davis and a returning Kyrie Irving, whenever that is, would be pretty nasty if it worked out. There would be major health concerns, but the talent play would be tempting.
But moving down the line and thinking about trading Flagg for Booker or Maxey is losing the plot, especially when it comes to Maxey. Both guards are very good players, but we know what they are at this point, and they aren't two-way franchise game-changers.
Harrison has stressed the importance of defense constantly after trading Doncic, so moving off a potential two-way superstar in Flagg for a player like Booker or Maxey would be nuts.
The most sensible play is just picking Flagg, letting him develop as Irving recovers from his torn ACL and then figuring things out from there. But after what happened this season, we can't rule anything out when it comes to Harrison and the Mavericks. It's going to be a fascinating lead-up to the 2025 NBA Draft in June.
