Can Max Christie TRANSFORM the Mavericks’ Future Next to Cooper Flagg? | Dallas Mavericks Podcast

Can Max Christie TRANSFORM the Mavericks’ Future Next to Cooper Flagg? | Dallas Mavericks Podcast

Is Max Christie a building block of the future around Cooper Flag? Just how good of a year is he having? I think he is a building block of the future on today’s one more thing of lockdown maps. >> I’m not a doctor, so >> that’s it. It’s me versus the machine. >> I don’t know. >> Sound change. >> Nice penetrating thrust to the hot man. The hot player. >> Wait, wait, one more thing. You are locked on the Dallas Mavericks. This is one of your hosts Isaac Harris covering the Mavs for the last 10 years alongside my good friend Nick Angstead. Thanks for making Locked on Podcast Network the number one sports podcasting network out there. And guys, I just want to do one more thing on Max Christie. I want to talk about Max uh in an extended conversation here for a little bit because I think Max is having one of the best years for the Mavs so far. And um yeah, it’s a bummer that they’re not like better right now. But I love that the this season that Max Christie is having. And I kind of just want to like I want to zoom out a little bit and look at hey what his future could uh could be in the next handful of years, but also uh be in the present too. and look out uh a few things that’s uh making his season so good and then I’ll look at his contract and stuff later on. You know, when I think back uh or I think of when Max Christie joined this team, it’s obviously the Luca trade and I’ve joked about this before. If you’re on X or Twitter, uh you I even joked about it again the other day. Um right when the Luca trade happens, all right, you know, it’s super late. It’s a Saturday night and just how I’m wired with things. Um, whenever I’m like trying to process things or I’m uh frustrated with some things or it’s like it’s just what in some of those moments uh I don’t know you some of you might be the same way. I go to like sarcasm or like um I go to um like humor. Um whether that’s I don’t know what if that says something about you or not. There’s probably some deep uh philosophical thing behind that. But I go to like sarcasm and humor a lot in these like moments. And so I just fired off a tweet as my like one of the first tweets right after Luca Trade. Everybody’s like losing their minds in the NBA world. Mavs fans are freaking out. I’m freaking out too. But I just go to sarcasm like, “Hey, people are sleeping on Max Christie.” Now listen, I loved M. I mean, I liked M Max Christie. I thought he was a good player, but obviously this is about like you giving up on Luca. And uh dude, I it was unbelievable. Um the amount of like hatred that came from that tweet. Um I even got some stuff of like, hey, watch your back when you like leave the the arena uh for Mavs games and stuff. I’m like, all right, God bless. It’s just um but it’s kind of like the irony of that now that we are still in the calendar year of the Luca trade. It’s crazy. Um when it’s all said and done, will it be called the Max Christie trade coming up next? No, it’s just I think we are sleeping on Max a little bit as funny as it is, but um because he was kind of like this um he’s like super young. I I actually made fun of him when he was on the Lakers because there were there was this graphic that went around of like him and Austin Reeves together and it was like the next star duo in the NBA and I was like, “All right, let’s chill out a little bit.” Okay, now Reeves is doing, you know, doing amazing. Uh, and Max is having a good year, too. Wouldn’t say he’s like a star, but he’s having a really good year. And I think even um you know he comes over in this trade and he’s kind of like the young piece. It’s centered around Anthony Davis. Obviously they get a first round pick in that. But then you get this kind of like young flyer piece in the deal and Max Christie and uh Austin Reed should have been in that deal too. But you know Max comes over and it’s like all right well now you get to see like a potential of of Max like uh the offense is going to look different. What does it look like for for Max? the end of the year gets kind of like weird for him because the ball’s like in his hands more of a more of a creator role and then it’s like you kind of like souring a little bit on him at the end of last year. But then he goes into the summer and he’s like, man, this is stuff I want to work on. I want to work on um just being more aggressive with the ball and ball handling and uh you have seen that so much this year. He’s still what’s crazy is he’s still 22 years old. So, one, if you just don’t want to be in a hype fest with about Max Christie for the next 10 or 15 minutes, then this episode’s probably not yours. But I just want to talk about how good Max Christie is. He’s still 22 years old, which is the same age as Ryan Nimhard. So, it’s pretty pretty crazy thing about that cuz, you know, we we think about Ryan Nimhard as this, which he is a rookie, uh, but he’s the same age as Max Christie. And Max Christie, it feels like, you know, he had all this time in LA. I say all this time. Uh, and now he’s been in Dallas since, you know, February and he’s still the same age as Ryan Demard. So, um, I’m not going to sit here and be like, oh, he’s basically like a rookie. But it just goes to show you just how young Max Christie is. And when you’re talking about building out this roster, because I think one of the biggest things for Dallas over the next 12 months, starting from now before the trade deadline, going into the draft next summer, going into free agency next summer and when the calendar year in the NBA, you know, switches over and then going into training camp, all of all of the next 12 months is about how you’re going to build around Cooper Flag. short-term, long-term, finding the pieces, creating flexibility to to build around Cooper, which pieces fit around him, what type of pieces do you want around Cooper flag? And I think it’s a really cool opportunity for Max Christie at 22 to be playing this role here in Dallas that I think he is a type of building block piece that you want to keep around that you want. When you’re examining this roster, you’re obviously you look at some of the age stuff and of some of the other players and if they want to go younger then Max still fits. if they want to do a win now type of thing. Max still fits because he does these things that every team wants. Every team wants uh a wing that is around his size that can shoot threes at the efficiency that he shoots them uh and the type of teammate and professional that he is. So, he’s he’s just 22 and um he’s been durable this year. There have been only two two players for the Mavericks this year that have played in all 27 games. Can you guess them both? I’ll wait. Oh, wait. Did someone say Ma Max and Naji Marshall? Then you got it right. Max is one of the two players that’s played in every single game for the Mavs this season. And he’s kind of taken on, before I get into some of his shooting, he’s he’s taken on that primary defender uh role, that point of attack defender. um he’s taken on the SGAAs of the world and some of these opposing point guards that you know we’ve we looked at it going into the season saying well you know who’s going to be that guy for Dallas because you know we we penciled in and that’s how it was early on that Clay was going to start. We know Cooper’s going to start h and then you start going around and PJ and Anthony Davis. Well, Anthony Davis wants to play the four. So then Gaffford Lavy’s going to start. It’s like who’s going to guard the opposing point guard and then bam, Max eventually takes Klay Thompson’s spot. Like I know that it was it’s a natural thing for a lot of us, especially fans that are not in the organization that’s not in the locker room or knows all the personalities or coaches and everything to just be like, “Well, yeah, that was natural.” like Clay was struggling and Max should be starting. It’s not that easy. Like I remember early on the season having a conversation with a national media person there at the game and one of the things we talked about standing there in the hallway was well the decision that they have to make soon and it’s just a matter of how it’s going to go over is they got to start Max over Klay Thompson. And he’s like I think they know that but then like how are they going to address that with Clay? Because that was the thing with Clay back at Golden State. They started starting Pisky over him and then you know Clay was relegated to the bench. It’s like how is he going to take that and eventually this is what Dallas did, right? Like they they’re like we got to roll with Max. Like Max is the better player right now. He’s playing better basketball right now. And uh for all that we know like Clay has been an awesome uh I love Clay so much but he’s just been an awesome teammate with it and understood understands it to my knowledge um and has adjusted to that role. And here Max is now he’s, you know, playing 30 minutes a game. He’s starting every game. He’s the point of attack defender. And uh he is that 3 and D guy that they desperately need on the team. Uh let’s take a quick break and I want to talk about his shooting and I want to talk about um his role moving forward. podcast is brought to you by our friends over at Skiims. Guys, when when we get a package in the mail and it comes from Skiims, I’m like, is that uh is that for my wife? No, it’s not. It’s for me. Uh because man, I’ve got a couple packages from uh Skiims now and uh it’s the honestly the best underwear I have. When SKIMS announced that they were making underwear for men, the reaction made perfect sense. People have been talking about SKIMS comfort for years. Most guys though stick to whatever they’ve been buying since college. The same fits, same waistbands that that roll and a whole lot of setting. Skimspin challenges that one upgrade and it’s obvious why everyone’s been talking. Uh guys, once I tried it, it’s over. It’s the best underwear I have. Once I have it, once I had it, a third baby uh came along for us, which not here yet. Uh coming up in uh about four or five weeks, we’ll have our third kid. They’re designed to feel good, fit, right, and actually stay put. No slipping, no sagging, no adjusting, just genuinely great underwear that makes you feel confident and comfortable. I honestly didn’t expect underwear to be this big of a game changer, but Skims completely surprised me. Shop Ski Men’s now at skims.com. And when you place an order, choose podcast in the post-purchase survey and select our our show from the drop down to let them know that we sent you. This podcast is also brought to you by our longtime friends over at Game Time. Uh the World Cup, man, it’s here in North America in Dallas. Even we have two Argentina games. We have some Japan games. We have an England game. If you want tickets to the World Cup, Game Time is the way to go because this is the first time since 1994 and we don’t know when it’s coming back. So, uh, now’s the time. Game time app, it’s clutch. Finally given to fans fan real advantage when it comes to snagging seats. With Game Time, you can track price drops because we need those World Cup tickets uh to drop right now. Get alerts when great seats open. Buy tickets the moment they hit the app. It puts the power back in your hands and makes going to the World Cup realistic instead of impossible. You pull up the app and the layout makes it so simple to scroll through the matchups, compare the uh seat views, pick a game, tap a section, have your tickets locked in within minutes. No confusion, no hunting for the fine print. Take the guesswork out of buying World Cup tickets in every match, concert, and event with Game Time. Download a Game Time app, create an account, use the code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. again. Download the app, make an account, use the code locked on NBA for $20 off game time. >> SHUT IT DOWN. LET’S GO. >> ALRIGHTY. Talking about Max Christie. Honestly, I’m just bragging on him. Uh he’s just playing so good basketball. I think it’s worth talking about. The Mavs, even though they lost against the Jazz and uh they’re still a ways back from being 500. I’m u I’m super impressed with Max Christie. He’s still 22. Um he’s durable. He’s that point of attack defender right now for Dallas. And the biggest thing for him is his shooting. Like to play um I think even when when you’re building around everybody needs shooters, right? So that’s like, you know, you’re like, hey, well, that’s kind of a cliche thing is to say, oh, he’s a shooter and that’s what they need. Every team needs shooting. That’s right. And when you already have a guy like Cooper, uh, or even when you had a guy like Luca, you need to surround these guys with shooting. And, uh, when I look at pieces moving forward around Cooper flag, then we need some elite shooters. And right now, Max Christie is one of the best shooters in the game. Max Christie is one of five players in the entire NBA that’s taken at least five three-pointers a game and hitting them at a clip of at least 45%. You got to put that qualifier of at least 53 because some people are like, “Oh, man. This guy’s shooting like 46% from three.” And it’s like, “All right, cool. He’s shooting two threes a game.” Max is getting a a lot of threes up. He’s he’s getting at least five threes a game and he’s hitting them at least 45%. That’s really really dang good. You start looking at some of those stats in the corner three-pointers, he’s literally one of the best corner three three-point shooters in the game. And those are the type of uh shots that especially this offense, this Triano offense really tries to generate a lot of if are these shots in the corner. This is where Max Christiey’s camped out a lot of times and he’s really good at doing that. and um considering his age and what he’s already a lead at right now and the the u the type of basketball that he’s playing right now and the efficient basketball he’s playing when I’m looking at this team moving forward however you feel about the direction which you think they should go the rest of this year take that out of the equation over the next handful of years you are building around Cooper Flag and finding pieces that fit around Cooper Flag Max Christie fits around him and I think the question for for me is like what type of player can he grow into? Like what is um what is that path if you’re looking at if you want to do the comp uh thing with him? Uh I’ve been watching, you know, the Spurs in the NBA Cup. Shout out NBA Cup big time. Uh but like I look at a guy like Devin Vel and I’m like can he be a Devin Vel type of guy? What Vel brings you to the Spurs. And you look at the Spurs, it’s like they already got their Fox guy that handles the ball. They have Harper, they have uh Stfane Castle, like they have these three guards that handle the ball all the time. They initiate offense and stuff. And then they obviously have Wimby, but it’s like you look at Vel and he’s like, man, he’s guarding he did a really good job at SGA the other night. He’s guarding the SGAs of the world. He’s getting these open threes. Um he’s initi he’s getting into to the paint a little bit more. And I think that’s uh the the next step for Max Christie, but it’s like can he be what Devin Vel is for the Spurs? Can he be a nil Alexander Walker whenever, you know, Minnesota goes to uh the conference finals and gets toasted by Luca Donic? Kenny B. And these are, you know, two older players that you go back a handful of years, but you go to like a a a Casey B, a Caldwell Pope, you go to like a Danny Green. These are guys that are that were that have rings playing that type of role, that 3 and D type of role that are not like the 3 and D guy that’s like uh like an OG that’s like a I mean OG has more offense to his game now, but like that’s guarding like fours, but it’s more of like the smaller 3 and D type of players. So, uh, is that the range for Max Christie? And then I put like ultimate next level of like can he be a Mikuel Bridges type of player? Um, Muel’s better than him. Mikuel’s just an overall uh better player than him, especially right now. But if Max Christie could get to the level that Mikuel Bridges is at right now, oh, that’s huge win for Dallas. Like, that is big time. Um, and I think that the last thing I want to talk about is like his contract stuff. So you have Max Christie right now 22. He makes $7.7 million this year. He makes $8.2 million next year. And then he has a player option for uh the 2027 summer. U so you don’t have to deal with, you know, you don’t have to deal with any extension stuff right now, uh or at least in the middle of this season, uh because he still has next year under contract. But once you go into that, go into next summer, next year, then you’re talking extension with Max Christie, right? like you’re talking of um you go into the year of 2026, you’re figuring out what that extension looks like for Max. A long time ago, I say long time ago, like month two two months ago maybe, u we were talking about is there uh were was there was the amount that Dallas could offer Max Christie going to be a restricted type of amount? Like uh was there a cap on it at a much lower number? And I even like misspoke on the show and I I went back if you heard I try to correct it after hearing uh Bobby Marx uh talk about it more and on DLS with Bobby and the crew over there and because of this new CBA um this newer CBA that they’ve uh that they entered into a few years ago, they can Dallas can offer him much more money than which I thought they could. um which would put an extension uh amount for Dallas being able to offer Max next year in the like high teens. And I think that’s the type of range. Initially I thought it was going to be like 12 or $13 million. I’m like Max is going to need and want more than 12 or 13 million uh just of like what how the league values that type of position. But if they can offer him in the high teens, you’re looking at like a 17 $18 million range at like the last year of that deal being 20 a little, you know, 21 somewhere 22 maybe. Um, whatever the the mechanation of that of that deal is, I think that’s the type of range that you’re looking at for Max Christie. Uh, he’s making $7 million right now, 8 million. If you can double that in the next uh extension, I think that’s a big win for Max. And honestly, if um I feel like that’s a win for both sides, like and that’s why I would love to um personally I would love to keep Max. Am I saying that Max Christie is untradable and untouchable for the Mavs going into the trade downline? No, I’m not saying that. There are deals out there for um some really good players in the league that’s like, hey, if the cost is Max Christie uh to get X player to go alongside Cooper Flag, then you obviously make that type of deal. But on the grand scheme of things, uh if you’re just trying to swap out playing cards, reshuffle the deck, uh or like deals like that type of thing, I’m keeping Max Christie. I’m not going out and shopping Max Christie right now. So, am I hanging up on every single thing? No. But am I going out shopping and saying, “Hey, what would you take for Max Christie?” I’m not doing that either because I think that extension number uh would be a win for both sides. And I think he’s a he’s the type of player that I would want around Cooper flag moving forward. Uh so if no matter what direction that they go for the rest of this year, I’m looking at it and I’m watching how Cooper and Max play together. That’s one of the things that going into it I thought this year was going to be kind of about like hell Cooper and Derrick Lively play together when really I think now it’s shifting for me of how does Cooper and Max Christie play together because I think Max can be one of those guys to be a building blocker alongside Cooper uh for many years possibly. So hats off to Max Christie. I love the season that he’s having. I hope he continues to play at this high level and uh yeah, we’ll see what the future holds. And if he continues playing like this, he’s going to uh he’s going to get a lot more richer uh and hopefully uh stay a Maverick for the time being. We’ll be back with another episode later on tonight. There’s you good one more thing. No tanking talk. Be happy people. Be happy.

Is Max Christie a building block for the Dallas Mavericks’ future alongside Cooper Flagg? Dive deep into the Mavs’ season, Max Christie’s breakout year, and what it means for the team’s outlook as they navigate the NBA landscape with talents like Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.

Isaac Harris discusses the rise of Max Christie for the Dallas Mavericks, analyzing his role next to Cooper Flagg, and what the future could hold for this young Mavs core. The episode covers other key players including Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, and Naji Marshall, and looks at how the Mavs are building around their stars. Listeners will hear insights on roster construction, player contracts, and which pieces best fit with Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and more in the NBA.

Locked On Mavs TEXT LINE: Support the show and get texts from Nick & Isaac on every Mavs Rumors, News Updates, Game Previews, Q&As, & More…
📲 https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonmavs
📲 TEXT: 214-643-8637

Everydayer Club – If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.
📲 https://lockedonmavericks.supercast.com/

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-mavericks/

🎧 Apple https://buff.ly/2nE23zM
🎧 Spotify https://buff.ly/2D9kZgK
🎧 YouTube Music https://buff.ly/3LCb3gh
🎧 Pocket Casts https://pca.st/bPVO
🎧 Overcast https://buff.ly/34r6SOi
🎧 Castbox https://buff.ly/4bAM0EL
🎧 Audible https://buff.ly/3SjqZZm
🎧 Audacy https://bit.ly/2SydQib

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

📲 Follow Locked On Mavs on Twitter – https://twitter.com/LockedOnMavs
📲 Follow Locked On Mavs on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lockedonmavs
📲 Follow Locked On Mavs on TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@lockedonmavericks

📲 Isaac Harris Twitter https://twitter.com/IsaacLHarris
📲 Isaac Harris Instagram https://www.instagram.com/isaaclharris/
📲 Nick Angstadt Twitter https://twitter.com/NickVanExit
📲 Nick Angstadt TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@nickvanexit
📲 Nick Angstadt Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nickvanexit

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers from our sponsors: lockedonpodcasts.com/offers

Mint MobileTurn your expensive wireless present into a huge wireless savings future by switching to Mint. Shop Mint Unlimited Plans at http://MINTMOBILE.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Disclaimer: Limited time offer. Upfront payment of:  $45 for 3-mo., $90 for 6-mo., or $180 for 12-mo. plan required ($15/mo. equivalent). Taxes & fees Initial plan term only. Greater Than 35GB may slow when network is busy. Capable device required. Availability, speed, & coverage varies. See mintmobile.com. 

QuoMake this the year where no opportunity and no customer slips away. Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://www.Quo.com/lockedonnba. Quo — no missed calls, no missed customers. 

ZocdocStop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need. Go to htps://Zocdoc.com/lockedonnba to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.

RobinhoodYou expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money. Get started today at robinhood.com/yourmoney. Your money. Your move.
All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Options, futures, and crypto trading carry significant risk and may not suit all investors. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, member SIPC. Futures trading is offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC and not SPIC or FDIC protected. Crypto offered through Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840), not FDIC or SIPC protected. Portfolio management offered by Robinhood Strategies, an SEC-registered advisor.

GametimeToday’s episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.

FanDuelToday’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA and NFL seasons are here, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#CooperFlagg #AnthonyDavis #KyrieIrving #DallasMavericks #Dallas #NBA #Mavericks #Mavs #DallasMavs #MFFL