Proposed trade lands Jaylen Brown on Mavs, Klay Thompson, Duke Blue Devils basketball phenom Cooper Flagg on Celtics

Maine native and Duke Blue Devils basketball phenom Cooper Flagg will be linked to the Boston Celtics for the rest of his career. Until he’s taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, he’ll be linked to a Jaylen Brown trade.

Fadeaway World’s Eddie Bitar came up with a new trade scenario that’d swap the Mavs’ and Cs’ top picks, Brown, and Klay Thompson.

Bitar framed Thompson as a potential mentor on a Celtics team that’d retain Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday to build a win-now contender around Flagg.

“Adding Klay Thompson, who averaged 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game with the Dallas Mavericks, provides the Celtics with a seasoned shooter and defender. While Thompson's numbers have declined from his peak years, his experience and championship pedigree could offer valuable mentorship to younger players like Flagg,” Bitar wrote.

“The Celtics could be looking ahead to their future and realizing that Jayson Tatum is the only player who is untouchable moving forward. Pairing him with Flagg while also retaining Derrick White and Jrue Holiday means the Celtics are not going anywhere as a title contender in the Eastern Conference.”

Thompson is merely salary filler at this point in his career. Expecting him to play any significant role on or off the court at this stage of his career is unlikely. Thompson may regret not retiring with the Golden State Warriors given how his legacy might age.

This isn’t about him, though. Flagg is the reset, or cherry on top, that every team in the league would take in a heartbeat.

If Dallas were to pass on him for Brown, one would think a Kyrie Irving trade would be next for the Mavs. Brown and Irving famously clashed while on the Celtics, leading to the former’s benching for Marcus Smart in 2018-19. They’re on better terms these days, but that doesn’t mean a successful basketball relationship is imminent.

Then again, Flagg to Boston isn’t imminent, and won’t be for at least half a decade, if ever. This all continues to be hearsay, even if these things will never be said.