Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks have high expectations for young forward Cooper Flagg moving forward. So does the global sports trading card market. A 1-of-1 Flagg rookie card was pulled in Rhode Island, per ESPN, after the team offered a bounty for it.
The card is a rookie debut patch autograph card. Flagg signed it at Fanatics Fest in New York City some time ago. The card is expected to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, if it goes to auction.
“The jersey Flagg wore in the first half of his NBA debut — from which the card's patch is made — sold for $1 million in February. A similar exclusive card featuring Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes sold for $1.11 million last year, leading to speculation that Flagg's card could fetch at least as much in an auction,” ESPN reported.
The sports trading card market has boomed since the COVID pandemic began. Cards are fetching bonkers prices, including Flagg rookies.
“The current high paid for any Flagg card is $366,000 in a March auction,” ESPN added.
The Mavericks are offering a lot of incentives for the card. Time will tell if the owner decides to part ways with it.
“The owner of Flagg's card will be hard-pressed to part with it, but the Mavericks recently made their case with an offer that includes two Mavericks premium season tickets for 32 years, a signed, game-worn Flagg rookie jersey plus a postgame photo with the star, a private photo shoot with the Rookie of the Year trophy, an expenses-paid road trip with the team and more,” ESPN added.
Dallas finished the 2025-26 season with a 26-56 record. The team missed the NBA Playoffs. In his rookie campaign, Flagg averaged 21 points per game.