Thunder hold trade chips that Mavericks desperately need to build around Cooper Flagg

If there's one team in the NBA that makes the most sense for the Dallas Mavericks as a trade partner this summer or over the next few years, it's the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas needs first-round picks to put the best-possible team around Cooper Flagg to one day turn into contenders, and OKC has an excess of picks in their stash. The Thunder would also benefit from adding more depth after missing the NBA Finals for the second time in three years despite winning 189 games in that span.

The Mavericks need more draft picks

The Thunder have two first-round picks this year, and at least two next year, with the possibility of having a third if the San Antonio Spurs aren't in the lottery (which seems extremely unlikely given that they're in the NBA Finals right now). A team that has been the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for three years in a row doesn't need this much draft capital, and this is why the Mavericks should call them about a trade.

Teams that have this much draft capital typically need it to rebuild their roster, but not OKC. That's what makes them such a logical trade partner for the Mavericks. The Thunder have assets that aren't crucial to their current vision, and they'd benefit from trading some of them rather than drafting an excess of talented rookies who may not even have a role.

Dallas has what the Thunder need: valuable veterans who can play a role.
Oklahoma City has what the Mavericks need: first-round draft capital.

Dallas doesn't fully control any of their own first-round picks after this year until 2031, and the draft is the best way to build around Flagg. It's hard to get better as a rebuilding team without having picks to utilize each year, and they desperately need to acquire future draft capital to revamp their roster after missing the NBA Playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.

The Mavericks are not close to being a contender, and last season proved that. With Kyrie Irving out for the entire season, Dallas' plethora of role players was not enough to support Flagg for a full year. Irving's return would've helped, but one player can't make them escape the reality of losing 56 games in a season after making the NBA Finals two years prior.

Luckily for the Mavs, there's hope. They have a generational prospect in Flagg, and the draft is the most logical way for them to turn things around. OKC has so much draft capital that they're not going to have roster spots for some of their picks over the next few years, and they must consolidate their picks or move off from some of them to properly manage their assets.

Why a Thunder-Mavericks trade makes sense for both sides

The Thunder and Mavs are a match made in heaven as trade partners, and their once-heated rivalry, which exploded in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, makes this possibility intriguing. Dallas is the closest geographic team to Oklahoma City, and with their history of making moves over the last few years, now is the optimal time for Masai Ujiri to pick up the phone and call Sam Presti.

It's widely known that the Thunder are looking to trade up in this year's draft, and they'd make perfect sense as a potential trade partner for the Mavericks. Dallas needs as much young talent as they can get around Flagg, and making a trade with Oklahoma City to acquire their No. 12 and/or No. 17 pick would help them do that. It would likely cost them the No. 9 pick, which is extremely valuable due to this year's draft class being stacked, but it's a chance they may be willing to take.

The Mavericks could potentially walk away with a combination of Labaron Philon Jr. and Morez Johnson Jr., or similar players in that tier, if they make this move with the Thunder, and walking away with two rotation-ready players on draft night would be a major win for Dallas.

Who could be on the move if Dallas wants to trade with OKC?

Even if Dallas doesn't want to part with the ninth pick, they could explore other trades to pry some of the Thunder's picks away from them. A potential deal could include P.J. Washington. His fit next to Flagg last year was shaky at best, and with the Thunder needing more positional size and frontcourt depth, Washington would make sense for them.

Dallas could even explore trading for Isaiah Joe and/or Aaron Wiggins, along with future picks, to help OKC create financial flexibility. These two players seem like the most likely trade candidates for a team that is in danger of being well over the second apron this offseason if they don't make some moves.

This summer is the perfect time for Ujiri and Mike Schmitz to start Dallas' rebuild with a bang, and a trade with the Thunder would help them do that. Any move that these two teams make will naturally draw attention, and with the Thunder having what the Mavericks need, they should be one of the first teams that Dallas calls.

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