Mavericks should trade up for Cooper Flagg’s Duke teammate as draft rumors heat up

The 2026 NBA Draft is just a few days away, and the Dallas Mavericks have been no strangers to trade rumors, especially over the last few days. There have been rumblings indicating that Dallas is open to trading up or down from No. 9, but the most recent rumor revealed that they’re searching for ways to move up from No. 30, their second first-round pick.

Dallas should trade up and draft Evans

There are tons of talented players who will be selected at the end of the first round, but one of the most intriguing targets for Dallas to trade up for is Duke wing Isaiah Evans. He was teammates with Flagg during their freshman seasons at Duke, and the Mavericks should target the 6-foot-6 sniper as they look to put more 3-point shooting around their teenage star.

They may have to move up to get him, though, as he has been mocked to go in the mid-to-late 20s recently. This is where the trade-up scenario comes into play, and Dallas will have to act strategically here.

The Mavs could do their best to guarantee themselves getting Evans if they trade up, and his potential role in Dallas is easy to see. He is the definition of a volume shooter, and after being in the bottom five of the NBA in 3-pointers attempted per game last season, Evans is someone they should be eyeing.

The Mavs need Evans' shooting badly

Confidence has never been an issue for Showtime Slim, and the Mavericks would certainly be shooting more threes if he were on the roster.

He averaged 15.0 points per game as a sophomore while shooting 36.1 percent from three on 7.4 attempts per game. His deep range, combined with his quick release, makes him someone who would thrive in Dallas playing next to Flagg and Kyrie Irving. He would strengthen their shooting significantly, and his off-ball gravity would help create driving lanes for his teammates.

Dallas' lack of shooting last season allowed for teams to sell out on stopping Flagg's drives, forcing him to take on far more resistance on his drives than he should've. Flagg needs to play with great shooters around him to be at his best, just like he did at Duke, and Evans would be a familiar face that he'd likely love to team up with again.

Evans is one of the top 3-point marksmen in this year's draft class, and trading up a few spots to get him would be the type of steal that Mavericks fans should love. Fans fear that Dallas' pick at No. 30 has been steadily decreasing in value due to the ammount of players going back to college, and trading up a few spots allows them to draft a player who likely wouldn't be on the board if they stand pat.

Evans falls into that category, and with the rumors of the Mavericks looking to make a trade up from pick 30, he makes far too much sense to overlook. Dallas needs what Evans brings, and his addition to their young core would help give their offense a much-needed spark.

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