Dallas Mavericks
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A new NBA rumor claims that the Dallas Mavericks won’t consider trading the No. 1 pick in the draft, even if Giannis Antetokounmpo could be acquired with the valuable asset.
Despite having a 1.8% chance of winning last week’s NBA lottery, the Mavericks won the top pick in next month’s event. The absurd luck comes at the best possible time for the franchise. They can now select generational prospect Cooper Flagg. And ease the backlash from fans angered that they traded beloved star Luka Doncic in February.
However, since winning the lottery, there has been speculation that the team could, or should, use the pick to acquire a superstar player. Giving the roster an elite piece to go along with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. So they can make a serious title run over the next two to three seasons. However, this weekend, NBA insider Marc Stein revealed a surprising opinion about that scenario from a source close to the team.
dallas mavericks
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“When I asked a source close to the process last week if the Mavericks trading away the ability to draft Duke phenom Cooper Flagg away would be considered, I was emphatically told: ‘No chance,'” Stein wrote. “No … not even for Giannis [Antetokounmpo],” the source added.
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar could be up for grabs this summer. After his team was bounced in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third straight year. If there was any player worth foregoing a chance to get Flagg, it would be the Greek Freak. However, after moving a long-term building block in Doncic, it seems Dallas brass believes getting a new young star would appease fans more than bringing in another outside one for a title run.
Davis, Irving, and Antetokounmpo have had trouble staying healthy for most of their careers, or recent seasons in the case of the Bucks All-Star. Preferring a young high-upside prospect that could hopefully be more durable does make sense.