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On Monday night, after what has been a disastrous three months for Dallas' NBA franchise, a stroke of luck struck as the Mavericks, with just 1.8% odds to land the No. 1 overall pick and the right to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg, managed to come out on top of the Flagg sweepstakes.
The Mavs now have the opportunity to add a two-way star who fits GM Nico Harrison's vision for defense first. Problem is, of course, that Flagg is a rookie, and just an 18-year-old one at that. For a team built around 32-year-old Anthony Davis and 33-year-old Kyrie Irving, adding a supremely talented young player is tempting, but would leave Dallas with a confused timeline.
And so former Duke star Jason Williams, himself a No. 2 overall pick before suffering a career-ending injury, says the way to go here is for the Mavericks to take a major gamble and make another blockbuster trade on the heels of February's controversial Luka Doncic deal.
"This is going to be controversial but if I'm Nico Harrison, I am trading the pick," Williams said on ESPN's "Get Up."
"I am not sure for a guy like Cooper Flagg, I think he needs reps, I think he needs a lot of room to grow. I am not sure about champinoship aspirations right away for him. Now, look, the basketball part of me loves the thought of AD, Cooper Flagg, Derreck Lively and the backcourt. But when I look at the value, could you package in a 1-on-1 trade to get a Giannis, could you package in a 1-on-1 trade to get a Devin Booker?"
WIlliams and his co-panelists on the show drilled down on the notion of making a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is 30 years old and is seeking a possible exit from Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo has a championship on his resume, and averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists.
Could you see the Mavs trading the No. 1 pick for Giannis? pic.twitter.com/nmXWxEo6Gv
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 13, 2025
Drop him onto the Mavericks roster in a swap for Flagg and filler contracts (Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin), and Dallas is a ready-made contender.
Said Williams: "If your championship window is in the next two or three years, could you package some assets to get somebody who can help you right now, with the pressure in the Western Conference?
"As soon as the pick came out, I said, 'Hey, Giannis to Dallas.' That was the first thing I said. That was the first thing I said to everyone on our show. ... I would do it."
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Ohio State Buckeyes are dealing with a major SEC program trying to take a key recruit right out of Columbus
Jim Nagy and the Oklahoma Sooners are showing they don’t care about any Group of Five school’s feelings for recruits they target
Since general manager Jim Nagy came to Oklahoma this offseason, he has completely altered the Sooner recruiting and talent acquisition strategies. He is relying less on recruiting rankings and offer lists, and more trusting the staff’s evaluations. It’ll be fascinating to see how successful that strategy is in a couple of years. In the 2026 recruiting class, we have seen that ideology play out time and time again. It appears we may be seeing another instance with Lafayette (La.) Christian Academy wide receiver Brayden Allen, who is currently committed to Tulane. According to Rivals vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, Oklahoma is working hard to get Allen on campus. Here is what he had to say about the Sooner push, and Allen’s relationship with them. “OU has produced a lot of great receivers that I’ve watched over the years and they like to throw the ball, which is what I like,” Allen told Wiltfong. “What stands out to me about OU is how they really want me, they were the first SEC school to get me on a visit and one of the first to recruit me,” he continued. While Allen doesn’t hold an official offer from Oklahoma, the thought is that could change very soon. That is especially true if he solidifies a game visit soon. Colorado is also another school to watch, according to Wiltfong. From a recruiting rankings perspective, Allen isn’t going to excite many. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Louisiana native is currently rated as the No. 935 overall player, No. 132 wide receiver, and No. 27 player in the state of Louisiana for the 2026 recruiting class. All of the major recruiting platforms have him rated as a three-star player. While those rankings aren’t overly impressive, the offer list for Allen continues to grow this offseason. Some of his top offers as of today include Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Colorado, Boston College, and Vanderbilt among others. There is a good chance the Sooners get added officially to that list soon. The 6-1, 175-pound pass catcher is a bit raw, but the talent is certainly there. As a junior for Lafayette Christian, Allen managed to haul in 55 receptions for 1,155 yards and 10 touchdowns. That is an average of 21 yards per reception, while also contributing on defense and special teams as well.
Tim Kennan III tells why Alabama football’s second scrimmage carries extra importance
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there are doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Taylor Swift went bonkers when Chiefs selected speedy WR in 2024
When Taylor Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in 2023, she knew little about football. Now, the pop star is obsessed with the sport. She tracks who the Chiefs select in the NFL Draft. During her Wednesday debut on Kelce's podcast, "New Heights," Swift recalled going bonkers when Kansas City selected wide receiver Xavier Worthy with pick No. 28 in the 2024 draft. "Oh my god, I fell in love with [football]," Swift said. "I became obsessed with it. I became a person who was running through the halls of my house screaming, 'We drafted Xavier Worthy.' And my friends were like. 'Who's body snatched you? What do you mean we drafted Xavier Worthy?' I was screeching. I couldn't believe it." Kelce said Swift was the first person to tell him the Chiefs selected Worthy, who set a 40-yard dash record (4.21 seconds) at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "You were the first person to tell me that we drafted the fastest man in the draft," he said. "I couldn't believe it either. I was like, 'Is she right?' I'm gonna have to look this up. Did she get the wrong information here?' But, yeah, we traded up [from pick No. 32 with the Buffalo Bills]." Along with monitoring the Chiefs' drafts, Swift has learned more about the sport's various pass coverages and rules. The 14-time Grammy winner admitted she thought all offensive players played at the same time and didn't know what a first down was before she started dating Kelce. "We're talking about Cover 2, Cover 4, Cover 0, man coverage," she said. "I'm not ready to be an analyst right now, but give me 16 months." Perhaps one of the league's broadcast crews will let Swift make a brief appearance in the booth when she attends one of Kelce's games. Worthy, meanwhile, could continue to showcase why he made Swift ecstatic on draft night. In his rookie season, he had 59 receptions for 638 yards and six touchdown catches in 17 games. With the Chiefs expanding his role this season, he could be in for a more productive year.
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