The Boston Celtics‘ blockbuster decision to trade Jaylen Brown has fueled no shortage of speculation about president of basketball operations Brad Stevens’ long-term plan.
One theory making the rounds among fans suggested Stevens may have been thinking several years ahead, swapping Brown for veteran forward Paul George because George’s contract expires around the same time Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg could become available.
NBA insider Jake Fischer doesn’t believe that scenario has any chance of unfolding.
Speaking during a Bleacher Report livestream Tuesday, Fischer dismissed the idea that Boston engineered its roster around a future pursuit of Flagg.
“Craig J89, an out-of-left-field question,” Fischer said after reading a fan comment. “Why is no one talking about how Cooper Flagg’s rookie deal is up at the same time as Paul George’s contract… Is Brad playing chess?”
Fischer acknowledged the timing but quickly explained why he doesn’t see it materializing.
“As much as that timing does line up, the Dallas Mavericks will have Cooper Flagg’s Bird rights. He’ll be a restricted free agent at worst-case scenario. I don’t think anyone in the league is looking at Cooper Flagg as not being a Dallas Maverick for the next six-plus years.
“So I like where your head’s at. I like that connect pieces, but I don’t think those puzzle pieces are going to result in a 4D chess scheme from Brad Stevens here, unfortunately, for Celtics fans.”
Cooper Flagg Has Already Addressed Celtics Speculation
GettyJayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks hug after the Celtics defeat the Mavericks 120-100 at TD Garden on March 06, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and a Maine native, has naturally been connected to Boston because of his New England roots.
But after making his first NBA appearance at TD Garden in March as a member of the Mavericks, Flagg made it clear he has no interest in leaving Dallas.
“Nah, I love being a Maverick,” Flagg said at the time. “That’s home and I don’t want anything else.”
While Flagg admitted returning to Boston carried special meaning because he grew up attending Celtics games, he emphasized that his future remains with the Mavericks.
“It was incredible to be able to play here,” Flagg said. “This is the place where I came as a kid and got to watch, so I think it’s going to be incredibly fun for the rest of my career for me to be able to come here and play in front of this crowd.”
Contractually, Dallas also holds nearly all of the leverage.
Flagg becomes eligible for a rookie-scale maximum extension during the 2028 offseason, and even if an agreement were not reached, the Mavericks would retain his restricted free-agent rights. Barring an unexpected trade request, Flagg is unlikely to reach unrestricted free agency before 2030.
Brad Stevens Has Explained the Brown Trade
Stevens has consistently framed Boston’s decision to trade Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks as a move centered on roster construction rather than a distant free-agent pursuit.
Addressing reporters after the trade, Stevens said the Celtics needed greater flexibility under the NBA’s restrictive collective bargaining agreement.
“When I looked at our team and where the league was heading,” Stevens said, “the path looked a little bit more challenging.”
Stevens pointed specifically to the difficulty of allocating roughly 70 percent of the salary cap and such a large share of the team’s offensive usage to Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Instead, Boston believes improving its depth gives it a better chance to contend over the long term.
That philosophy aligns with Fischer’s assessment.
While the contract timelines of George and Flagg may overlap on paper, the Celtics’ blockbuster trade appears to have been driven by salary-cap flexibility and roster balance—not by an elaborate plan to lure one of the NBA’s brightest young stars away from Dallas years down the road.
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