Mavs Notes: Flagg, Middleton, Jones, Bagley
As the consensus No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 draft, Cooper Flagg appeared likely to become the new face of a franchise for a rebuilding team. Instead, after the Mavericks lucked into the top pick on lottery night, he joined a club that already featured a pair of veteran stars – Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving – and hoped to make it back to the playoffs right away.
Less than a year later though, with the Mavericks holding a 19-33 record, Irving still not back from a torn ACL, and Davis having been sent to Washington at this week’s trade deadline, Dallas has become exactly the kind of rebuilding club that Flagg seemingly avoided last June.
In trading Davis to the Wizards, the Mavs are handing the former Duke star the keys to the franchise and placing a new level of responsibility on his shoulders, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). For his part, Flagg seems unfazed by the change in plans.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really change much,” he said on Saturday. “I’m just gonna go out there every night and try to be consistent and try to be the best version of myself. Whatever that looks like, whoever is out there with me, I hope we just compete at a very high level.”
After a slightly slow start in the fall, Flagg has ramped up his production over the course of his rookie year. The NBA’s youngest player has increased his season-long averages to 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game and is shooting 48.4% from the floor and 80.6% from the free throw line. His ability to quickly adjust to the NBA game gave the front office the confidence to move on from Davis and pivot to Flagg’s timeline.
“He’s such a special individual at just 19 years old,” interim co-GM Matt Riccardi said, per Curtis. “He carries himself at a mature age. Everything he does is just natural to him. He is genuinely that person and we’re lucky to have him and grateful that we get to build a roster around him.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- While there has been some speculation that veteran forward Khris Middleton could emerge as a buyout candidate after being traded from Washington to Dallas in the Davis blockbuster, there’s no indication that’s the plan in the short term. Middleton joined his new team in San Antonio on Saturday and is hoping to make his Mavs debut on Tuesday in Phoenix, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic.
- Having traded three guards (D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and the injured Dante Exum) to the Wizards along with Davis, Dallas tweaked the deal to make it a three-teamer that sent Tyus Jones from the Hornets to the Mavs. Head coach Jason Kidd said on Saturday he expects Jones to be “successful” with the Mavs, lauding the point guard for his “extremely high” basketball IQ (Twitter video link via Curtis). Jones had four points and seven assists and was a +18 in 17 minutes in his first game as a Maverick.
- Jones wasn’t the only new Mav who had a strong debut on Saturday in a losing effort in San Antonio. Big man Marvin Bagley III racked up 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks in 24 minutes off the bench. According to Curtis, his eight offensive rebounds represented a franchise record for a Mavs debut. “I just tried to go out there and play my game and be myself,” Bagley said. “It was a lot of traveling the last couple of days, coming into Dallas yesterday, doing physicals and getting right on a plane to come (to San Antonio). But that’s a part of it. That’s a part of the job. I just tried to control what I could control and do my best to be myself.”
Mavericks Send Anthony Davis To Wizards In Three-Team Deal
February 5: The trade has been finalized, the Mavericks and Wizards announced. It was officially completed as a three-team deal, with the Hornets receiving Malaki Branham and the Mavs receiving Tyus Jones. Charlotte confirmed its part of the trade in a press release.
“Anthony Davis is one of the most accomplished players of his generation, and we are thrilled to have him in Washington,” said Wizards general manager Will Dawkins. “Anthony’s championship experience and defensive pedigree bring a new level of opportunity and excitement to this franchise.”
February 4: The Mavericks are trading big man Anthony Davis to the Wizards, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum will also head to Washington in the deal.
In return, the Mavericks will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders, sources tell Charania.
Those first-rounders will be a “least favorable” 2026 pick that will almost certainly be the Thunder’s, plus the Warriors’ top-20 protected 2030 pick, per Charania. The second-rounders are Phoenix’s 2026 pick, Chicago’s 2027 pick, and Houston’s 2029 selection.
Davis had been on the trade block in Dallas for much of the season, but there was some doubt about whether a deal would materialize after he suffered a hand injury expected to sideline him for at least most of February, if not beyond that. Rumored suitors like Atlanta and Toronto appeared to back off to some extent, opening the door for a surprise team like the Wizards to make a deal.
While Washington is an unlikely landing spot for a veteran star like Davis, the 13-36 Wizards are clearly pivoting toward being competitive next season, having acquired four-time All-Star Trae Young from Atlanta last month and now pairing him with a 10-time All-Star in Davis.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Wizards would ideally like to use second-year big man Alex Sarr as a “super-sized” and “switchable” power forward and had been seeking another impact frontcourt player to use alongside him. Washington explored a possible deal for Kings center Domantas Sabonis and had considered making a run at Jazz center Walker Kessler in restricted free agency before pulling the trigger on a trade for Davis, Fischer says.
As they did with Young, the Wizards are buying low on Davis amid an injury-plagued season in which he has dealt with several separate health issues and has been limited to 20 appearances. Although the draft-pick haul they’re giving up for AD looks substantial at first glance, the 2026 first-rounder will likely end up at No. 30, while the 2030 selection will turn into a ’30 second-rounder if it lands in the top 20.
Like Young, who has yet to make his Wizards debut as he rests a knee injury, Davis appears unlikely to play much – if at all – during the second half of this season. Washington will owe its 2026 first-round pick to New York if it lands outside the top eight, so the club will likely do all it can to avoid that scenario. Resting its veteran stars should help that cause.
Despite the modest value of the first-round picks changing hands, the Wizards’ package likely appealed to Dallas due to the financial flexibility it will afford the team going forward. Besides moving off Davis’ maximum-salary contract, which will pay him $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28, the Mavs will remove Hardy’s $6MM guaranteed salary and Russell’s $6MM player option for ’26/27 from their books.
Besides giving the Mavericks more cap flexibility going forward, the deal will also generate considerable short-term savings, with the Wizards taking advantage of their significant breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on more than $24MM in 2025/26 salary. Dallas had been operating right up against the second tax apron but will move all the way out of apron and tax territory with this move, resulting in $57MM in savings, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
Most importantly, the trade lines up the Mavs to begin building around star rookie Cooper Flagg. Dallas will have a pair of first-round picks in a strong 2026 draft, including their own selection which is on track to be a lottery pick. And the team has a much cleaner cap sheet to work with moving forward, even with long-term deals for role players like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford still on the books.
Still, the return for Davis stands in stark contrast to what they gave up to get him just one year ago. Under former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison, the 32-year-old was the centerpiece of the package the Mavs received for franchise player Luka Doncic. Since making that deal, the franchise has parted ways with Harrison and now done the same with Davis, conceding that it made a major mistake at the 2025 deadline.
Mavericks Notes: Irving, Flagg, Davis Trade, Kidd
The decision to trade Anthony Davis may seem like the start of a youth movement, but that doesn’t mean the Mavericks are looking to part with Kyrie Irving, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes in a subscriber-only story. Sources tell Afseth that the front office sees “long-term potential” in pairing Irving with rookie sensation Cooper Flagg and they’ll be the foundation to build the roster around.
Afseth hears from league sources that Flagg’s ability to handle the ball and make early reads on offense is living up to the team’s expectations heading into the draft. Some members of the organization consider him to be the team’s best passer as well as its top scorer.
Irving has been sidelined since last March with an ACL tear, so the Mavericks haven’t gotten to seen him and Flagg on the court together yet. Coach Jason Kidd said recently that the team’s disappointing record won’t affect its plans to bring back Irving this season, and there appears to be progress on that front.
Sources tell Afseth that Irving has been conducting regular skill work with assistant coach Phil Handy and has taken part in one-on-one games against members of the Mavs’ coaching and player-development staff. Afseth, who has stated in the past that Irving is expected to be physically capable of returning to action sometime after the All-Star break, watched him play recently and reports that he looked “sharp” in the workouts, creating space on his jumper, attacking the basket with his dribble and finishing drives as well as ever.
There’s more from Dallas:
- Parting with Davis’ contract — and his uncertain future due to frequent injuries — was necessary to start building a winning roster around Flagg, Christian Clark of The Athletic and Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) state in separate stories. Clark notes that the deal drops the Mavericks’ salary from near-second apron territory at $207.8MM to below the tax threshold at $187.9MM while helping to replenish their depleted draft stock. Curtis points out that the three players sent to Washington along with Davis — Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum — weren’t able to provide effective point guard play with Irving sidelined and were surpassed in the rotation by Brandon Williams and two-way rookie Ryan Nembhard, who may receive a standard contract later this month.
- Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News offers enthusiastic support for the trade and says whoever is responsible for putting it together should be named the full-time general manager. Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi have been sharing GM duties since Nico Harrison was fired in November.
- The Mavericks had four demands in Davis trade talks — draft assets, clearing long-term salary, roster flexibility and the ability to build for the future around Flagg — and the Wizards were able to meet them all, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. The Mavs weren’t determined to move Davis ahead of the deadline, sources tell Katz, but they recognized that his expected extension demands this summer will be higher than they wanted to pay.
- Kidd responded to the $35K fine he received for a profanity-filled tirade following Saturday’s loss at Houston, relays Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Kidd was upset at the officials for not calling a foul on a Flagg shot attempt late in the game and at reporters for questioning his use of Flagg at point guard early in the season. “I take full responsibility for that, for my actions, for my fine,” Kidd stated, “but I said what I had to say.”
Latest On Anthony Davis Trade
Rumors began to emerge Tuesday about a “secret Eastern Conference team” that might have interest in trading for Anthony Davis, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required). Those whispers turned out to be legitimate as the Wizards swooped in to acquire the 10-time All-Star, furthering a shocking roster overhaul that began with a trade for Trae Young four weeks ago.
Stein states that the Mavericks elected to take the “only palatable” trade offer that was available for Davis, who has been sidelined since January 6 with a hand injury. Stein notes that the Raptors also expressed interest in acquiring Davis, but any deal with Toronto would have required Dallas to take on unwanted long-term contracts.
Even though the Mavs got limited value in the two first-round picks they acquired from Washington and no players who fit into their long-term plans, Stein hears that they decided it was best to act now because Khris Middleton has a $33.3MM expiring contract and wouldn’t be able to be included in the deal if the teams waited until summer.
Stein adds that the primary motivation in unloading Davis is to begin constructing the roster around star rookie Cooper Flagg, with one team source saying, “The building-around-Cooper Era starts now for real.” Parting with Davis’ maximum-salary contract — and his desire for an extension this summer — gives Dallas much more flexibility to add players who are a better fit with Flagg’s timeline.
Stein shares a few more tidbits regarding the trade:
- Sources tell Stein the Wizards wanted to add Davis to prove to Young that they’re serious about becoming a playoff contender. Young holds a $49MM player option for next season, and Washington is hoping to work out a long-term extension with him this summer.
- Stein hears that rival teams have expressed interest to Dallas in acquiring Marvin Bagley III, who was in the midst of a productive season as a backup big man with the Wizards. Bagley has a $2.3MM expiring contract.
- At one time, the Wizards were projected to have about $80MM in cap room for the offseason, but Stein states that they were realistic about their chances of landing impact free agents and opted to pursue Young and Davis in “pre-agency” instead. Stein adds that Washington has been searching for a center who allows Alex Sarr to fit into his more natural position of power forward, but Davis has historically preferred to play at the four spot as well so it’s not clear how their duties will be defined.
Trade Rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Poeltl, Draymond, Giannis, More
After shedding significant salary and creating a $28.9MM trade exception in their blockbuster deal sending Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah, the Grizzlies are viewed as a potential landing spot for Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
The Raptors have been discussing a possible Domantas Sabonis trade with the Kings, who have no interest in Poeltl, so a third team would likely be required if Toronto and Sacramento hope to get those talks over the finish line. Poeltl’s contract, which runs through 2029/30 and has more than $100MM left on it, is widely viewed as a negative asset, so Memphis would need to be incentivized to take it on.
The Bulls are also considered a potential facilitator for Poeltl, according to Siegel (Twitter link), but as things stand, Chicago would have to send out salary to accommodate the veteran center’s incoming $19.5MM cap hit, whereas Memphis wouldn’t.
We have more trade rumors on a busy day around the NBA:
- While it was essentially a given, based on reports that the Warriors weren’t including Jimmy Butler in their offer for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Slater of ESPN confirms that Golden State has included 14th-year veteran Draymond Green in active trade conversations with Milwaukee. Without Butler involved, the Warriors would need to use Green’s $25.9MM salary for matching purposes in order to have a shot at Giannis.
- The Heat have expressed “some level” of interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant in recent weeks, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), but their focus remains squarely on Antetokounmpo. One source who spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) suggested Miami figures to remain involved in both fronts, since it wouldn’t be impossible for the team to land both players if Memphis’ asking price is low enough.
- The Timberwolves also remain in on Antetokounmpo, but they’re exploring other possible avenues on the trade market and have a lot of balls up in the air, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), who cautions that Minnesota’s cost-cutting deal involving Mike Conley doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be acquiring Giannis.
- After agreeing to acquire Jackson from Memphis, the Jazz may not be done, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Siegel (Twitter link) hears that Utah remains “very active,” with Jusuf Nurkic and his $19.3MM expiring contract included in the team’s trade discussions.
- Mavericks forward Naji Marshall has been the subject of some trade speculation in recent weeks, but he doesn’t want to go anywhere. Marshall tells Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Sports (subscription required) that he’d like to spend the rest of his career playing alongside rising star Cooper Flagg, adding that he expects Flagg to “create history.”
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Once Again Named Rookies Of Month
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Hornets wing Kon Knueppel have once again been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Flagg and Knueppel, who were Duke teammates last season, have monopolized the award this season, gaining those monthly honors three consecutive times. No one else has won it this season, as the months of October and November were combined.
Flagg, the top overall pick, averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last month. He capped off the month with a 49-point eruption against Charlotte and 34 points against Houston.
Knueppel averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night in January. He scored a season-high 34 points in the same game Flagg scored 49.
Ace Bailey (Jazz), Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), Caleb Love (Trail Blazers) and Derik Queen (Pelicans) were the other Western Conference nominees. Egor Demin (Nets), VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Tre Johnson (Wizards) and Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) were also nominated in the East.
Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of The Month
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been named the NBA’s Player of the Month for the Western Conference, while Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has won the award in the East, the league announced today (Twitter link).
The Lakers were 9-6 in games Doncic played in January, and the All-Star guard increased his league-leading scoring average by racking up 34.0 points per game in those 15 outings. He posted a shooting line of .506/.392/.747 for the month while also contributing 9.1 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per night.
Doncic had four 30-point triple-doubles in January, capped by a 37-point, 13-assist, 11-rebound outing in Washington to wrap up the month last Friday. It’s the sixth Player of the Month award of his career and his first since he became a Laker almost exactly one year ago.
Brown’s career year continued in January as he led the Celtics to a 9-5 record in the 14 games he played, averaging 29.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 4.6 APG. The 29-year-old matched a career high by scoring 50 points in a win over the Clippers on January 3, then had a 27-point triple-double in a double-overtime victory in Brooklyn on Jan. 23.
While his teammate Jayson Tatum has racked up five Player of the Month awards over the course of his career, this is the first time Brown has earned the honor.
Brown beat out fellow nominees Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell of the Heat, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Sixers center Joel Embiid, Hornets forward Brandon Miller, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Pacers forward Pascal Siakam for the January award, per the NBA (Twitter link).
The other Western Conference nominees were Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.
Jason Kidd Fined $35K For Criticizing Officials, Using Profanities
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has been fined $35K for public criticism of the officiating and using profane language during a media interview, the league announced (Twitter link).
Following Saturday’s loss at Houston, Dallas’ fourth straight defeat, Kidd went on an expletive-filled tirade regarding media criticism of Kidd using rookie Cooper Flagg as the team’s de facto point guard.
“I don’t give a f–k about the criticism,” Kidd said. “The criticism, that’s your opinion. You guys write that bulls–t. I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I’ve played it at a very high level, and I know what the f–k I’m doing.”
The No. 1 overall pick has thrived the past two games, putting up 49 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday and finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on Saturday.
“I don’t give a f–k what you guys write,” Kidd said. “Because you guys have never played the game before. I have built players. I know what the f–k I’m doing. To take criticism, it only makes me better. Because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes at what I’ve done.”
Kidd also ripped the officiating crew. He was particularly upset about a play with 25 seconds remaining, when Flagg drove down the lane and missed a left-handed layup that would have tied the game.
“I saw a foul,” Kidd said. “[Officials] Sean [Wright], Simone [Jelks] and Jason [Goldenberg] were awful tonight. The referees were unacceptable. It’s a foul, and he needs to be at the free throw line. Now, does he make both? That’s up to the player, but the referees did not do their job. They were terrible.”
Southwest Notes: Poole, Hawkins, Flagg, Durant
Jordan Poole has been benched for the last four games for the Pelicans in favor of a starting lineup of Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson, and Derik Queen. This move sent rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears to the bench and Poole out of the rotation altogether, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
“Obviously, Poole will stay ready and he’ll be ready to go,” head coach James Borrego said when asked about the veteran guard’s diminished playing time. “(He was) back at it today in practice and so we expect him to stay ready. You never know when your number is going to get called. Everybody who has stepped in for us this year has made an impact. I expect him to do the same.”
Poole has been rumored to be a trade candidate for New Orleans, given his up-and-down play and role with the team since being brought over in a trade with the Wizards in the offseason.
He’s averaging his fewest minutes (25.4), points (14.5), and assists (3.1) per game since 2020/21, his second season in the league. He has started only six games, the fewest of any season of his career.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Jordan Hawkins is probably the Pelicans player most likely to be traded at this year’s deadline, Walker writes. Hawkins, like Poole, has been excised from the rotation of late, having not seen the floor in the last six games. After a promising sophomore campaign in which he averaged 10.8 points in 23.6 minutes per game, the third-year guard has struggled to find a rhythm this season, averaging just 4.3 PPG on .320/.301/.778 shooting splits. Billed as a shooting specialist coming out of UConn, Hawkins has hit just 34.2% of his career threes, but he’s still just 23 years old and could be viewed as a player in need of a change of scenery.
- The Mavericks believe that Cooper Flagg doesn’t get a fair whistle on his drive, and the numbers might back that up, writes Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. Curtis notes that Flagg drives to the rim 11.9 times per game, an equivalent rate as the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards, but gets only 1.8 free throw attempts on those drives, compared to Edwards’ 3.3. “You just gotta play through it,” Flagg said. “It’s not the first time in my life that I probably haven’t gotten calls and it probably won’t be the last.” Coach Jason Kidd had a slightly more less serene take on the matter after Saturday’s loss to the Rockets, lambasting the referees over what he perceived as a missed call on Amen Thompson, as did former owner Mark Cuban. “He’s going to continue to keep going until he hears the whistle,” Kidd said. “There were a lot of fouls missed with this young man. Maybe they just don’t know his game yet, but that’s who he is. He’s going to continue. He’s not going to get discouraged.” The no-call was ultimately upheld by the league in the NBA’s last two-minute report (Twitter video link).
- Kevin Durant will miss the Rockets‘ game on Monday in Indiana with a left ankle sprain, Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter). Durant played 38 minutes in the win over the Mavericks, going 6-of-17 from the field for 13 points. Will Guillory of the Athletic writes that this will be Durant’s first game missed due to injury this season (Twitter link).
Jason Kidd Rips Media, Officials After Saturday’s Loss
Following Saturday’s loss at Houston, Dallas’ fourth straight defeat, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd went on an expletive-filled tirade regarding media criticism of Kidd using Cooper Flagg as the team’s de facto point guard to open his rookie season, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic.
“I don’t give a f–k about the criticism,” Kidd said. “The criticism, that’s your opinion. You guys write that bulls–t. I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I’ve played it at a very high level, and I know what the f–k I’m doing.”
As Clark observes, the Mavs went 2-5 and had the worst offensive rating in the league in the first seven games of the season before Kidd moved Flagg off the ball. But the Mavericks have once again been playing without a traditional point guard of late and the No. 1 overall pick has thrived the past two games, putting up 49 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday and finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on Saturday.
“I don’t give a f–k what you guys write,” Kidd said. “Because you guys have never played the game before. I have built players. I know what the f–k I’m doing. To take criticism, it only makes me better. Because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes at what I’ve done.”
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Kidd also ripped the officiating crew following Saturday’s loss. He was particularly upset about a play with 25 seconds remaining, when Flagg drove down the lane and missed a left-handed layup that would have tied the game.
“I saw a foul,” Kidd said. “[Officials] Sean [Wright], Simone [Jelks] and Jason [Goldenberg] were awful tonight. The referees were unacceptable. It’s a foul, and he needs to be at the free throw line. Now, does he make both? That’s up to the player, but the referees did not do their job. They were terrible.”
Flagg set a record for a teenager when he scored 49 points and his 83 combined points are the most a teenager has scored over a two-game span in league history. The 19-year-old also became the first teenager to record consecutive 30-point double-doubles, per MacMahon.
“I definitely felt some contact, but at the end of the day, the refs are the ones making the call, so it is what it is,” said Flagg. “I mean, it’s tough. You just got to play through it. It’s part of the game. It’s not the first time in my life that I haven’t got calls, and it’s probably not going to be the last. So whatever it is, just got to keep playing through it.”
For what it’s worth, Dallas (15-of-26) attempted 11 more free throws than Houston (11-of-15), Clark notes.