Mavericks' deafening statement with Cooper Flagg pick sparks glaring trade question

The Dallas Mavericks made history on Wednesday night, as they selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. Dallas only had a 1.8 percent chance of landing the first pick at last month's NBA Draft Lottery, and the city of Dallas is fired up to start the Flagg era. This was a move that had been expected for over a month, as Flagg had only visited the Mavericks, and Flagg was the only top prospect that visited Dallas.

While Flagg is safe from trade rumors following being selected by the Mavs with the first pick, some of his teammates won't be. The Mavs' first major move of the offseason was always going to be drafting Flagg, and now that he is officially a Maverick, the question is, who in the frontcourt is going to get traded?

Ever since the Mavs won the NBA Draft Lottery on May 12, it was obvious that there was going to be a logjam in the frontcourt with Flagg joining the mix, and we could see some movement in this area as soon as tonight. Dallas reportedly wants to acquire an additional first-round pick, and some of the Mavs' rotational players could be on the move within the next few hours.

Washington and Gafford's Mavs futures may be murky after Flagg pick

While the Mavs prefer to keep Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington out of trade talks when searching for a new guard, it seems inevitable that one of these two players may not be on the roster by the time opening night rolls around.

Both Gafford and Washington have provided monumental impacts as members of the Mavs, including being key reasons that they were able to turn the 2023-24 season around and ultimately reach the 2024 NBA Finals, but the Mavs may have to trade one of them to achieve their goal of putting the best possible team around Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis. Dallas has a surplus of frontcourt depth when compared to their battered backcourt, and while they have the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception to use when pursuing a guard, thanks to Irving's team-friendly extension that he signed last night, they are going to need to make a trade to get a true game changer at the guard position.

Gafford, fresh off a three-year extension with the Mavs, seems like a prime candidate due to his contract being right under the threshold that would have caused a six-month trade restriction. With Gafford being on such a tradable contract, combined with the fact that he is a starting-caliber big in this league, the Mavs could trade him for a deal that includes an additional first-round pick.

On the other hand, the Mavericks do plan on continuing to run the double-big lineup next season, and some insurance behind Dereck Lively II and Davis is a good idea. Dallas would have to land a major upgrade in the guard department if they were to trade Gafford, and things are a bit more complicated for Washington.

Washington was a playoff hero for the Mavs in 2024, as he single-handedly helped the Mavericks take down the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder with some dominant performances, but unfortunately for him, he and Flagg play the same position. Both Flagg and Washington are at their best when playing power forward, and while Jason Kidd did hint at the Mavericks running an ultra-big lineup that would feature Flagg at the two and Washington at the three, it seems that this lineup wouldn't have enough shooting to compete with the best teams in the league.

On top of that, Washington is on an expiring contract, making $14.2 million next season. He is going to want to prove his full value to potentially receive a big payday next summer (if the Mavs don't extend him), and that could lead him to want to play elsewhere. That seems unlikely, as Washington grew up in Dallas and has seemed to enjoy his time with the Mavericks so far, and time will tell Dallas' true feelings about his future in Dallas, especially after the Flagg pick.