With the NBA trade deadline looming-just under 36 hours away-the Dallas Mavericks find themselves at a pivotal crossroads. Tuesday night’s matchup against the Boston Celtics isn’t just a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals.
It’s also their final on-court showing before the league’s trade window slams shut Thursday at 2 p.m. CST.
And with the roster in flux, every possession, every decision, and every phone call could shape the Mavericks’ trajectory for years to come.
Let’s be honest: Dallas hasn’t had a fair shot at evaluating this squad. Long-term injuries to Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and others have kept the full roster from ever truly taking the floor together.
That lack of clarity makes this deadline even trickier. Do the Mavs stay the course and hope for better health next season?
Or do they pivot now, lean into the youth movement, and start reshaping the roster around their emerging star, Cooper Flagg?
The trade chatter is already heating up. Tuesday saw the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly move on from Jaren Jackson Jr., and Dallas is very much in the thick of the rumor mill.
According to reports, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reached out about acquiring Davis, the 10-time All-Star currently sidelined with a hand injury. The Cavs, sitting fifth in the East, are clearly looking to make a splash.
They’ve also reportedly kicked the tires on a potential deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, though it’s unclear how serious either pursuit is-or if both are being explored in tandem.
Now, Davis may not carry the same trade value he once did, but he’s not the only Maverick drawing interest. Naji Marshall, who’s quietly putting together a career-best season as a versatile two-way wing, has been generating plenty of calls.
However, Dallas has made it clear: Marshall is not on the table. He’s seen as a key piece moving forward, especially as the team looks to surround Flagg with athletic, defensive-minded wings who can also contribute offensively.
One name that might be on the move, though, is Daniel Gafford. The big man has stepped into a starting role with Davis and Lively out, and he’s held his own.
But in a league where playoff contenders are always hunting for rim-running, shot-blocking backup centers, Gafford is a valuable asset. He proved his worth during the Mavs’ Finals run not long ago, and his skill set could be exactly what a contender needs to round out their frontcourt rotation.
The bigger picture here is Cooper Flagg. The rookie phenom just picked up his third straight Rookie of the Month award, tying Luka Doncic for the only time that’s happened in Mavericks history.
Flagg isn’t just the future-he’s already becoming the present. And that means Dallas has some big decisions to make about how to build around him.
Offloading contracts like Davis and Gafford could open up the flexibility needed to give Flagg the keys. But there’s another route: stay patient, run it back next year with a healthy trio of Davis, Irving, and Flagg, and see if this team can contend when fully loaded. That approach might also mean punting on this season, letting the chips fall where they may, and hoping for a high draft pick in 2026-the only first-rounder the Mavs currently control for the foreseeable future.
So here we are. The deadline clock is ticking.
The phones are buzzing. And the Mavericks are at a franchise-defining fork in the road.
Which way they go-retool or reload-will say everything about how they view their window, their roster, and most importantly, their belief in Cooper Flagg as the face of the franchise.