In 2024, the Dallas Mavericks gifted their franchise cornerstone to the Los Angeles Lakers on a silver platter. In 2026, there is at least one major front office figure who believes the Mavericks now have a better pillar in place by going from Luka Doncic to Cooper Flagg.
The results of the annual NBA GM survey were revealed earlier this week. One of the categories that caught the eye was the question regarding what player GMs would elect to start a franchise with today. There was an overwhelming favorite in that discussion.
Victor Wembanyama received a whopping 93 percent of the vote. Going from one of the most highly anticipated NBA Draft prospects of all time to a top-four player in the league by the end of your third season will warrant that runaway consensus. Dig a little deeper there and you will find something interesting, though.
There were two other players who received votes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder was one of them. Flagg was the other. Doncic was nowhere to be found. Huh.
At least one NBA GM would take Cooper Flagg over Luka Doncic right now
So, does this suddenly suggest that Dallas won the day by trading away Doncic? Absolutely not.
Doncic is one of the best players in the world. At worst, no reasonable person should have him lower than fifth (and you could argue him higher than that). Flagg still has a long way to go before becoming the perennial All-NBA First Team talent that Luka has been throughout his career.
However, Coop did have an impressive rookie campaign. After some stiff competition from his former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel , Flagg managed to secure the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year. It was enough to sustain the excitement that came with him as a first overall pick.
Flagg should have every opportunity to have a breakout campaign in his sophomore season, too. The Mavericks have amassed a good bunch of talent. Plus, with Kyrie Irving set to return, their new franchise cornerstone should have the support he needs to make a leap on offense.
That could increase the amount of NBA GMs who are intrigued enough with Flagg's upside to pull an extra vote or two away from Wembanyama in this same survey category next year.
Luka Doncic still holds a clear edge as the fully actualized superstar
The conversation around Flagg is hinged on potential. There is nothing to immediately indicate the Mavericks forward will not continue to develop and grow into a superstar. Even so, projecting future growth and seeing a fully developed superstar are two different things. The Lakers have the latter.
Everyone knows who Doncic is. On his best days, no one in the world can rival him. On his more average performances, he still towers above most.
Perhaps Flagg can become that type of player one day. There is certainly reason to believe he blossoms into one of the game's best. Until that day arrives, you still take the proven commodity 10 out of 10 times.
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