Charles Barkley Urges Bucks to Strike Blockbuster Trade for Cooper Flagg

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated May 14, 2025 9:06 AM ET

The Dallas Mavericks acquired the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft lottery on Sunday. Having traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, they now plan to use that pick on Cooper Flagg.

After the Mavs acquired the pick, many analysts floated the idea of trading the No. 1 Cooper Flagg pick. Charles Barkley spoke about the same, suggesting Milwaukee reach out to Dallas.

“Well, if I am Milwaukee, the first call I'd make is to Dallas, because if Cooper Flagg goes to Dallas, are they contenders next year?" Barkley questioned on "Inside the NBA" on Tuesday, which was answered with a "No".

"That’d be a great way to kick off the Milwaukee rebuild—cause you’ve got to understand something else about Milwaukee: Dame’s(Damian Lillard) out all next year, basically too."

"This would be a good situation -- Dame is going to be out, and we get Cooper Flagg, maybe a good young player or some draft picks." Barkley further added.

"Now you can really start your rebuild. You get Cooper Flagg, some draft picks, you're going to be in the lottery again."

"If I'm Milwaukee, first call I'm making is to Dallas"

Chuck plays out a hypothetical Giannis-Flagg swap pic.twitter.com/oamomgXv5d
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 14, 2025

Giannis Antetokounmpo has expressed his "open-mindedness" for exploring a future out of Milwaukee for the first time, per Shams Charania . And hence, after Sunday Mavericks too joined the trade conversations beside the Golden State Warriors

As of now, the Mavs have no plans to give up their No. 1 pick. Their decision to trade Dončić sparked major resentment among fans. Making another trade might attract even more heat from the entire fandom.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: