DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg is in the midst of an unprecedented run for an NBA teenager just as the Dallas Mavericks are firmly declaring their rookie No. 1 pick the future face of the franchise.
The day was coming regardless. It arrived with Dallas trading Anthony Davis, the 10-time All-Star who joined the Mavs in a deal that cost them generational superstar Luka Doncic and sent their fans into a funk from which they're still recovering.
“We have an unbelievable player in Cooper Flagg,” co-interim general manager Michael Finley, a former Mavericks player, said Thursday night during the announcement of a three-team trade involving nine players and five draft picks that are all going to Dallas.
“When you have that type of draft capital, it gives yourself the ability to go out and put the proper pieces around him to make our team, like I keep stressing, a championship contender.”
The Mavericks got Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and Marvin Bagley III along with two first-round picks and three second-rounders from Washington for Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum. Malaki Branham also was part of the deal for Dallas, which then traded him to Charlotte for Tyus Jones.
“It's tough. Those are guys I came in here my first year, they were all amazing guys to be around on and off the court,” Flagg said. “I wish them all the best. And I'm just blessed to be here. Whoever's out there on the court with me, and the rest of the guys, just looking forward to continuing to try to get better and compete at a really high level.”
Flagg extended his NBA record for a teenager with his fourth consecutive game of at least 30 points, scoring 32 in a 135-123 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. The run started with the 19-year-old setting a league scoring record for a teen with 49 points against Charlotte. Flagg followed that with 34 points against Houston and 36 against Boston.
The Mavericks have lost all four games during Flagg's surge to put their season-worst losing streak at six games, which helps explain why the Mavericks moved on from the oft-injured Davis, currently sidelined by a hand injury, and chose another retooling of the roster over the chance to see Davis, Flagg and star guard Kyrie Irving on the court together.
“I think, as a fan, you probably would want to see AD, Kyrie, and Cooper on the court,” said Finley, who shares the interim GM title with Matt Riccardi. “But we had an opportunity to do something to give us the ultimate flexibility in the future. We just felt that this was an opportunity to take advantage of that situation.”
When the Mavericks converted a 1.8% chance in the draft lottery for the right to select Flagg last summer, there was hope that the fog of losing Doncic would clear.
Instead, Davis' injury woes returned amid a slow start by the team this season, as did the “Fire Nico” chants that filled American Airlines Center in the final two months of 2024-25 after the Doncic trade engineered by then-general manager Nico Harrison.
The Mavericks fired Harrison in November in part as a way to repair the relationship with the fans, and to acknowledge that the trade was a setback for the franchise.
Now they've moved on from their centerpiece in that deal, but Irving is the biggest remaining piece from the team that he and Doncic led to the NBA Finals less than two years ago. It's beginning to look as if Irving won't play at all this season after the nine-time All-Star tore the ACL in his left knee last March.
Finley indicated the Mavs still have a vision of Flagg and Irving — both one-and-done No. 1 overall picks from Duke — sharing the court at some point.
“We've both spoken to Kyrie at different points,” Finley said, referring to Riccardi. “Kyrie has the ultimate respect for Cooper. He loves the kid's work ethic. He loves the kid's love for the game. And I think Kyrie’s embracing the role as a mentor to Cooper. So it’s going to be amazing to have a chance to see those guys on the court and playing together.”
The fate of Flagg's rookie year is all but set — the Mavericks as also-rans in what appears to be a second consecutive season without a trip to the playoffs since the five-game loss to Boston in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Coach Jason Kidd, the point guard for the franchise's only championship team in 2011, believes Flagg has the makings of a franchise leader, and the perseverance to work toward that first postseason chance.
“The bigger the stage, the bigger the light, the better game he has,” Kidd said. “He wants to win. The 49 (points), the 36, they all have L’s behind it. He wants the change that. He wants to win. I think the great ones learn how to change those L’s into W’s, and he’s going to be one of those.”
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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving stands on the court during a time ou in the second half of an NBA basketball game againt the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg gives instructions during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie's brother on Thursday renewed the family's plea for their mother's kidnapper to contact them, hours after an Arizona sheriff said investigators don't have proof Nancy Guthrie is alive but believe “she's still out there.”
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video posted on social media.
“We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward,” but first the family needs to know the kidnapper has their mother, he said, echoing a statement his famous sister read the day before.
Five days into the desperate search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
Authorities think she was taken against her will from her home in Tucson over the weekend. DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference earlier Thursday. He acknowledged, however, that authorities have no evidence she’s OK.
Investigators said they are taking seriously notes seeking ransom that were sent to some media outlets.
It's unclear if all of the notes were identical. Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said details included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one wasn't met. At least one note mentioned a floodlight at Guthrie's home and an Apple watch, Janke said.
“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.
At least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after one ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.
A note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.
“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said.
The sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, but if she was, investigators don’t know if that’s because her daughter is one of television’s most visible anchors.
Authorities say any decision on whether to fulfill ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.
A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a message to her mother’s kidnapper, saying they are ready to talk but want proof their mom is still alive. There's been no response to their pleas so far.
Investigators gave a more detailed timeline from the hours after Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night. She was eating dinner and playing games with family members before one of them dropped her off at her home in a upscale neighborhood that sits on hilly, desert terrain, the sheriff said.
About four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected, Nanos said. But Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so the doorbell company was unable to recover any footage.
Software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the motion could have come from an animal.
Then at 2:28 a.m. the app on Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone.
Guthrie was reported missing shortly before noon Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.
While she is able to drive and her mind is sharp, the sheriff said she has difficulty walking even short distances. She also requires daily medicine that's vital to her health, he has said.
A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
Investigators searched in and around Guthrie’s home again for several hours Wednesday.
Authorities are bringing more resources and people into the investigation, and the FBI announced Thursday it was offering up to $50,000 for information. A day earlier, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can.
The kidnapping has attracted the attention of the American public, much like other famous abductions in U.S. history.
Savannah Guthrie has hosted “Today” — NBC’s flagship morning show — for more than a decade and had been set to co-anchor the network’s coverage of Friday’s opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. For now, she's staying close to her mother's home.
She joined her two siblings in an emotional plea on social media Wednesday to say they're ready to talk to whoever sent the ransom notes.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” she said while fighting off tears.
With her voice cracking, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her. She was flanked by Camron and their sister, Annie.
“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.
This story has been corrected to show that the sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was targeted, not that investigators have believed from the beginning that she was targeted.
Billeaud reported from Phoenix and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.
A sign of solidarity from neighbors at Nancy Guthrie's home Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Caitlin O'Hara)
The home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, is seen from above, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Caitlin O'Hara)
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos updates media on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks at a news conference, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz., to provide updates in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)
Law enforcement officers are present outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, near Tucson, Ariz., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)
FILE - Savannah Guthrie arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
