DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall had a weekend to remember, as he reportedly landed a three-year extension worth over $52 million with the organization.
It’s a safe bet that the Mavs weighed a number of factors before coming to terms with Marshall, who, after all, has played the best basketball of his NBA career since coming to Dallas. But one element that shouldn’t go overlooked is his relationship with rising star Cooper Flagg.
Cooper Flagg’s Influence
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Flagg’s “known fondness for Marshall” is believed to be “among the factors that Dallas considered” when putting the extension together.
“Cooper Flagg’s known fondness for Marshall after their first season together as teammates is believed to be among the factors that Dallas considered when awarding Marshall this new three-year deal, but the reality is that the Mavericks surely can’t keep all of their swingmen,” wrote Stein. “Right?”
As Stein indicated, the Mavs do currently have a ton of wings. That raises questions about the futures of some players on their roster. Marshall can take comfort in knowing that the ink on his extension is still drying, though Stein did note that the structure of the 28-year-old’s new deal leaves him immediately trade-eligible.
Naji Marshall’s Two Seasons in Dallas
Marshall had never averaged 10+ points per game at the NBA level before joining the Mavs. Then, in his debut season with Dallas in 2024-25, he averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. He followed that up by averaging 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this past season.
Originally undrafted, Marshall is a nice success story at the NBA level. His journey has been different than that of Flagg, who came into the league as the No. 1 overall pick last season and enjoyed immediate success in the form of a Rookie of the Year campaign.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as a rookie and clearly enjoyed playing with Marshall. If the Mavs are trying to do whatever they can to keep their new franchise cornerstone happy, having Marshall around seems like a wise choice.
