Cooper Flagg was asked Tuesday night about the possibility of losing teammates to his first NBA trade deadline.
“You never know what’s going to happen, so you just gotta stay ready,” he said.
Wise words from the 19-year-old rookie.
Just 15 hours later, the Mavericks officially began the process to build around their teenage sensation by finalizing a trade to send Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III and five combined draft picks.
Mavericks
The blockbuster trade helps the Mavericks replenish some of the draft compensation lost in building a roster around Luka Doncic — the former franchise cornerstone — and offers financial flexibility for the team to construct a roster that complements Flagg’s versatile skillsets.
For the last two seasons since the NBA introduced the first and second aprons of the collective bargaining agreement in 2024, the Mavericks have been extremely limited with how much they can spend to improve their roster.
Trading Davis’ massive $54 million salary allows them to get below the first apron and offers co-interim general managers Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley the ability to make subsequent trades and sign future free agents without restrictions.
By parting ways with Davis, along with a trio of point guards in Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum, the Mavericks will welcome Middleton, Johnson, Branham and Bagley to the roster. But for how long is anyone’s guess, with less than 24 hours to make additional moves before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Middleton, 34, is a former three-time All-Star who may be past his prime but can still provide a three-level scoring punch. He’s averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 34 games for the Wizards. He is making $33.2 million and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, which allows Dallas the option to clear even more room from its payroll.
Branham, a 6-5 fourth-year guard, didn’t get much of an opportunity in Washington, but he’s shot over 37% from beyond the arc for the last two seasons.
Johnson, a 21-year-old guard, has appeared in only 25 games for the Wizards this season.
There’s a hint of irony in Bagley’s move to Dallas. The former second overall pick was selected by the Sacramento Kings in 2018 right before the Mavericks acquired Doncic with the third pick. The seventh-year big man was in the middle of his third season with the Wizards after a brief stop in Memphis and three seasons in Detroit.
Both Bagley and Branham are on expiring minimum contracts, while Johnson has two seasons left after the Wizards exercised his two-year team option earlier this season.
The Mavericks’ decision to trade Hardy, Russell and Exum was primarily due to their inability to provide consistent production this season, when the team needed to fill a void at point guard during Kyrie Irving’s recovery from ACL surgery.
Hardy was buried on the depth chart behind Brandon Williams and undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard, who could see his two-way contract converted to a standard deal this month.
Russell started only three games and had 16 DNP-CDs (did not play; coach’s decision) despite signing a two-year contract in the offseason.
Exum re-signed with the Mavericks last summer but was never cleared to play because of a lingering right knee injury that required surgery in December.
Dallas now has options after moving on from these players and most importantly Davis, whose durability issues resulted in him playing only 29 games as a Maverick, including three quarters of his debut with Irving.
The franchise waited for the possibility of the All-Star duo to share the floor with Flagg, but Davis suffering several injuries this season made it difficult to bank on a future featuring the trio of former No. 1 overall picks.
Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3), Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) pose for a portrait during the Dallas Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Flagg, the youngest player in the NBA, is having a historic rookie season. In Tuesday night’s 110-100 loss to the Boston Celtics, he became the first teenager to score 30 points in three straight games, further proof he’s worth building around.
The rookie was a college freshman at Duke a year ago, and technically, he should be a freshman this season since he reclassified during high school.
Instead, he’s the face of the Mavericks.
It was apparent a new era had started in Dallas during the Oct. 22 home opener, when fans at American Airlines Center first shouted “Flagg!” during the national anthem.
It was the clearest sign of an embrace fans never offered Davis, whose time with the Mavericks would always be associated with losing Doncic.
It was their pledge of allegiance to Flagg.
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