Mavericks rumor: Jay William suggests signing the trading superstar with the No. 1 pick, there are 3 candidates

The Dallas Mavericks won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but some have begun to speculate whether Cooper Flagg will be traded.

The Dallas Mavericks were full of luck in the NBA draft draw, beating 1.8% odds, winning the No. 1 pick and getting the right to pick Duke star Cooper Flagg. However, given the shocking Luca Doncic trade by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and his apparent desire to take a gamble now, speculation quickly turned to the No. 1 pick for an experienced NBA star.

Since Giannis Antetokounmpo is now "open to trading from the Milwaukee Bucks, the name he immediately came to mind was Giannis Antetokounmpo. But ESPN's Jay Williams mentioned two other players on Tuesday's Get Up show. Things started to get a little weird from here.

Williams not only mentioned Giannis, but also Devin Booker and...Tyres Maxi? The Mavericks traded with Antetokounmpo at least reasonable, as he remains a strong candidate for the MVP. And, having him partnered with Anthony Davis and returning Kyrie Irving whenever it succeeds, it will be very tricky. This involves serious health problems, but the talent is also very attractive.

But then consider changing Flagg to Booker or Maxi, which is too irrelevant, especially on Maxi's issue. Both defenders are very good players, but we now know their current level and they are not two-way players who can change the team's landscape.

Harrison has always emphasized the importance of defense since trading Doncic, so it would be crazy to trade a potential two-way superstar like Flag for a player like Booker or Maxi.

The wisest thing to do is to choose Flag, allowing him to continue to develop while Irving recovers from an ACL injury torn, and then look for a breakthrough from it. But considering what happened this season, we can’t rule out any possibility for Harrison and the Mavericks. This will be a wonderful moment on the eve of the 2025 NBA draft in June.