Just a few months after shocking the basketball world by trading away superstar Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks are set to crown a new face of their franchise Wednesday night.
Cooper Flagg, the Duke star expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, will take the torch and try to get Dallas back to the NBA Finals where Doncic led them two short years ago.
But in order to do so, he'll need help—especially with Kyrie Irving working back from a torn ACL he suffered in March.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks are a "leading suitor" to sign guard D'Angelo Russell in free agency this summer. That move is now possible after Irving signed a contract extension earlier this week, extending him for three years while also lowering his 2025-26 salary from a $43.9 million option and enabling the Mavericks to unlock a $5.7 million midlevel exception.
Russell has been around the block across his 10 years in the NBA, but he's been a solid scorer throughout. In 58 games for the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets last season, Russell averaged 12.6 points per game while shooting a career-low 31.4% from three-point range—a far cry from his 36.5% career mark. At 28, Russell still has quality basketball ahead of him and should be able to rebound from a rough shooting year.
If the Mavericks get it done, Russell could start alongside Flagg, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively until Irving returns to the floor.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Mavericks Have Free Agent Target in Mind to Star Alongside Cooper Flagg.
