ESPN analyst rips Anthony Davis trade but says Cooper Flagg makes it OK. Why?
Add ESPN’s Brian Windhorst to the list of pundits who were not fans of the return the Dallas Mavericks got for Anthony Davis.
Windhorst was on “Get Up,” discussing the Mavs trade, and lambasted the return.
“The Luka [Dončić] transaction is really a basketball tragedy, because, like you say, three first-round picks, but one of these picks traded in this draft is the Thunder pick this year that’s going to be 29 or 30. The other one is a top-20 protected pick in four years. You know, these are not good picks, and it’s actually jaw-dropping that you could take a generational talent like Luka Dončić and do these transactions,” said Windhorst.
Despite his harsh critique, he said the Mavs have one of the NBA’s brightest futures thanks to Cooper Flagg, and said that the rookie could surpass Dončić.
“The Mavericks have one of the brightest futures in the league because of Cooper Flagg. I mean, I can’t see into the future, but it’s very possible Cooper Flagg could end up being a better player and a better franchise leader than Luka Dončić. Maybe Luka wins multiple championships in LA and that will not be true, but Cooper Flagg is as exciting a young player as we’ve seen in this league in 25 years, what he can do at both ends of the court elevates his entire team. It’s extraordinarily exciting, and salary dumping Anthony Davis is the correct move for building around this young player,“ said Windhorst.
That’ll be heavy lifting for Flagg to match the start Dončić had to his Mavs career. The Slovenian superstar won Rookie of the Year before ripping off five straight First Team All-NBA selections.
Flagg, who has won Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month this season, is already on his way to the first accomplishment, currently in a two-man race for ROY with fellow Duke product Kon Knueppel.
Flagg will get his next chance for a showcase when the Mavs play the Spurs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at American Airlines Center as they try and snap a five-game losing streak.
