If the Dallas Mavericks decide to go all-in on Cooper Flagg, they need to make some moves to get the most out of their young star.
The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world by landing the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Barring a massive trade, it is expected that the Mavericks will select Duke standout Cooper Flagg with the top pick, jumpstarting a new era.
Earlier this season, the Mavericks made the baffling move to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The roster is still built largely around Doncic, and changes need to be made if Dallas wants to build around Flagg moving forward.
With Kyrie Irving out for most, if not all, of next season with an ACL tear, the Mavericks need to add playmaking. In our proposed three-team deal, they do just that while adding a center to the Golden State Warriors, allowing them to chase a title with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green while they can.
The Mavericks, with Flagg and Davis leading the charge next season, need playmaking and shooting. The Warriors, on the other hand, need a center to get rebounds and score in the frontcourt next to Green.
By roping in the still-rebuilding Chicago Bulls, both the Mavericks and Warriors get what they want, and Chicago can unload its worst contract and continue its youth movement.
Full Mock Trade Details
- Mavericks receive: Lonzo Ball, Buddy Hield
- Warriors receive: Nikola Vucevic
- Bulls receive: Moses Moody, Naji Marshall, Brandon Williams, 2027 first-round pick (via GSW, top-ten protected)
The deal adds an established, and hopefully healthy, point guard in Dallas while shoring up their offense with Hield, and the Warriors round out a championship-caliber starting five of Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Butler, Green, and Vucevic, who should be able to fit well with Green.
The Bulls, meanwhile, add two young players in Moody and Williams, a defensive stopper in Marshall, and a first-round pick. If all goes well for Golden State, 2027 will be their last season in contention, and that pick should convey.
The result of the deal is pretty straightforward. The Warriors lacked a paint presence in the playoffs, getting outrebounded by 51 boards in their first-round matchup against the Rockets.
Vucevic is a double-double machine, and on offense, he doesn’t have to crowd the paint, allowing Green and Butler to play close to the basket.
The Mavericks, who seem to believe they are in the middle of a title window, enhance their shooting around their frontcourt of Davis, Flagg, and Dereck Lively III with Hield. They also get a stop-gap point guard in Ball, and shed Marshall, who is made redundant by the addition of Flagg in the draft.
Hopefully, Irving will return to lead a playoff charge, but a healthy Ball is more than capable of running the show.
Finally, Chicago adds to their youth and doesn’t commit to any massive long-term contracts. The Bulls have been a fixture of the Play-In the last several seasons, and this trade allows them to rebuild for a season and add young talent next to Matas Buzelis, Coby White, and Josh Giddey.
