The NBA Draft Lottery has come and gone, and the Philadelphia 76ers narrowly missed out on landing the number one overall pick. Ultimately, the Sixers still landed the third overall pick, but it was the Dallas Mavericks who, shockingly, are the winners of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, or at least that is the projection at the current moment.
On a Tuesday morning edition of ESPN’s Get Up, NBA analyst Jay Williams suggested that the Mavericks, considering their perceived championship window, may be better off flipping Flagg for a star. The Mavs’ window is expected to be two to two-three years following the Anthony Davis trade (yes, we’re calling it that today). With that timeline in mind, Wright mentioned three names for Dallas to consider who could, in his mind, more likely contribute to a championship within that window.
Among those players were Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, and Tyrese Maxey.
“For a guy like Cooper Flagg, I think he needs reps,” Wright said. “I think he needs a lot of room to grow. I’m not sure of championship aspirations right away for him.
“Now look, the basketball part of me loves the thought of AD, Cooper flag, Derek lively in the back court, right?But when I look at the value, could you potentially package them like this to get a Giannis? Could you package in a one-on-one trade to get a Devin Booker? Could you get a Tyrese Maxey? If your championship window was in two to three years? Could you utilize that pick and some assets to get somebody who’s ready to contribute to you right now, with the pressure on the West Coast?”
Should the Sixers offer Maxey for Flagg?
The idea of trading Tyrese Maxey would hardly please many in Philadelphia, potentially even causing riots against Daryl Morey, who sits in a precarious enough position as is. Still, the idea of landing a projected-to-be generational talent is attractive, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding the Sixers’ future, at least as it pertains to Joel Embiid.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time the idea has been raised. On the national level, sure, but not locally. Last month, the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast raised the notion of trading Maxey for Flagg. In that context, the idea was specifically moving Maxey plus the second pick in the draft (assuming that’s what the Sixers would land). That could easily be argued as an overpay, but it does not mean that the organization should not entertain any Maxey for Flagg trade proposal.
Williams does not mention additional compensation outside of Maxey. While he certainly does not have any control over the negotiations of the Dallas Mavericks organization, it’s not like GM Nico Harrison has a stellar recent track record in trade talks.
Even if Philadelphia were to attach a future first, arguably any pick save the third in this draft, the argument could be made that it would be in the best long-term interest of the organization. But the opportunity would first have to present itself.
Rest assured, Tyrese Maxey is safe in Philadelphia…most likely
While Dallas may make or take calls regarding the top pick, it’s hard to see Philadelphia making a convincing case. It’s not that they don’t have assets, but unless Nico Harrison considers Tyrese Maxey and Cooper Flagg on a similar level, or if he is somehow enamoured with the potential of Ace Bailey, which would honestly be the more likely situation of the two, then it’s unlikely to come to pass.
