A fan’s question on Monday about trading Cooper Flagg for Luka Dončić pitted the Dallas Mavericks’ second-year forward against the Los Angeles Lakers star.

The answers were divided. Some fans would keep Flagg, and others would bring Dončić back to Dallas.

NBA Fans Reveal Whether They Would Trade Cooper Flagg for Luka Dončić

The discussion came in the wake of ESPN insider Tim MacMahon’s comments on the matter. “The fanbase I’m telling you is crazy. They’re still mourning the loss of Luka. I’m just here to tell you, I would not trade Cooper Flagg for Luka. Just considering age, contract, all that kind of stuff. Cooper Flagg, I believe, right now, is a top-10 player,” MacMahon said on the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast.

MacMahon pointed to age, and the two are nearly eight years apart. Flagg is 19, and Dončić is 27.

Flagg won 2025-26 Rookie of the Year by averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, and he became the first teenager in NBA history to score 50 points in a game. Last season, Flagg led the Mavericks in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals, becoming the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in all four categories.

The question itself was a straight choice between the two players: “Would you trade Cooper Flagg for Luka Dončić?”

One of the firmest answers came from the side keeping Flagg. “Absolutely not. Wouldn’t even consider it,” one fan wrote.

Others on that side built their case around defense, while still granting Dončić his numbers. “Nah I love Luka but he don’t play any defense at all … He’s still going to average 34ppg and 8 assist but I’ll take Coop over him,” another fan wrote.

A third fan took the defensive argument a step further. “No. Luka is an insane talent, but having to build a roster around him specifically to cover his defensive shortcomings is tiring. Yes, he has improved defensively some, but achieving a top 10 defense with him is difficult,” they wrote.

That fan also liked what Flagg doesn’t demand: “With Flagg, I don’t have to worry about that. I also don’t have give him 35%+ usage to get the most out of him.” Even so, the same fan added a caveat: “I’ll need to see Flagg in the playoffs first.”

Not everyone would keep Flagg. Asked whether they would make the trade, one fan wrote, “In a heartbeat.”

Another fan turned the Flagg side’s roster argument around: “As a Mavs fan, yes, because I know Luka can carry a team and I don’t have to worry about the other players being good or not.”

One fan landed in between, weighing where Flagg is headed against what Dončić has already done: “Flagg is talented and his trajectory is similar to Luka’s. His resume isn’t at that level yet, so for now it’s a ‘let’s wait and see.'”

Hours after the question went up, the two players had very different nights. Dončić scored 42 points on 14-of-24 shooting, with 7 rebounds and 13 assists, in 36 minutes of the Lakers’ 138-117 win over the Miami Heat.

Flagg went 3-of-19 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3-point range in the Mavericks’ 115-100 home loss to the Sacramento Kings. He scored 17 points, going 11-of-11 at the free-throw line, and had 6 turnovers.

The fan waiting to see Flagg in the playoffs has a long season to watch first. Seven games in, the Mavericks are ninth in the Western Conference at 4-3, while the Lakers are fourth at 6-2 after eight.