Mavericks' real stance on franchise-altering Flagg-Giannis trade finally revealed

The Dallas Mavericks' luck following the Luka Doncic trade on February 1 couldn't have been worse.

From multiple season-ending injuries to players like Kyrie Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper to an assistant coach getting arrested to Anthony Davis' Mavericks debut ending after three quarters and more, they couldn't catch a break. The future of the franchise was a major question mark heading into this offseason as it was filled with uncertainty, but all of that changed last Monday night.

The Mavericks won the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to select Cooper Flagg in the NBA Draft on June 25, but this event was immediately followed up with skepticism from Mavericks fans.

These fans feared that Nico Harrison would explore trading the first overall pick (Flagg) for someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo due to his desire to win right now, and their stance on this type of move got an intriguing update on Sunday morning.

Mavericks won't even trade Cooper Flagg for Giannis Antetokounmpo

It was already known that the Mavericks planned to draft Flagg just days after they won the draft lottery, and NBA insider Marc Stein gave an update on Dallas's thoughts (subscription required) on the situation.

Stein was told "no chance" when he asked a Mavs source about the possibility of Dallas trading the first pick, and this includes a potential blockbuster trade with the Bucks for Antetokounmpo.

"No ... not even for Giannis," a source told Stein about the Mavs' thinking on trading Flagg.

It's clear that the Mavericks don't have any plans on trading Flagg, even in a potential trade for Antetokounmpo, and that is the exact news that fans wanted to hear. Mavericks fans love the experience of building from the ground up with a superstar, just as they did with Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki, and now they get to go through that same process with Flagg if the team's rumored thinking on the situation remains the same.

Even though pairing someone like Antetokounmpo with Irving and Davis would likely give the Mavs a better shot at contending now, drafting Flagg will make them contenders for years to come, and he is going to be on an extremely cost-friendly deal for the first four years of his career.

Having elite players on cost-effective contracts is one of the best weapons in the NBA, and rather than trading an 18-year-old phenom in Flagg for a 30-year-old Antetokounmpo who is making over $50 million per season, they are going to build around Flagg who is on a rookie deal without having to shed multiple role players while they're at it.

If the Mavericks were to trade the No. 1 pick for Antetokounmpo, they'd have to trade multiple role players along with him while they're at it. A potential deal could include players like P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, or Klay Thompson, and instead of sacrificing their depth and arguably one of the best trade assets in the league (the 2025 No. 1 overall pick which will be used to select Flagg), they get to keep all of their role players and can select Flagg.

Mavericks fans can't wait for the Flagg era to begin, as he will immediately become one of the best young defenders in the NBA while giving them an instant shot at contention, and the chance to draft Flagg was truly one of the only things that could save the Mavs from the Doncic disaster.

Mavericks fans seem engaged once again, and the sorrow that followed the team trading Luka Doncic doesn't sound like it's going to happen with Cooper Flagg.

Even for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo.