Our hometown Dallas Mavericks entered Monday night's NBA draft lottery with just a 1.8% chance of obtaining the top pick, as determined by a ping pong ball lottery system. In a sort of basketball karma iconoclasm, the Mavs were somehow rewarded with the No. 1 pick, coming just months after shipping off Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.The move became the worst NBA trade in history, sending shockwaves throughout the city and making Mavs General Manager Nico Harrison the enemy of many.
Of course, the news that the Mavs had secured the top pick brought Dallasites another crazy, albeit thrilling, chapter in the Mavericks' whirlwind of a year.
#MFFL ‘s after the Mavs get the #1 overall pick in the draft 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/egMGkoUiIm
— William (@Texas_William) May 12, 2025
The lottery luck is the latest chapter in a season of Reunion Tower-rivaling highs and cataclysmic lows for Dallas basketball. Last month, the Dallas Wings also received the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, using it to select UCONN guard and national champion Paige Bueckers.
A great day to be a Dallas basketball fan @dallasmavs 😄 pic.twitter.com/aEEBOhyoiI
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) May 13, 2025
As for this year's NBA draft, Duke forward Cooper Flagg remains the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick. The freshman took home Naismith's Player of the Year award and was ranked first in his class of 2024. At just 18 years old, the spotlight looks to shine bright and on the incoming rookie, especially now that he's likely to be drafted into what has become a turbulent organization.
BREAKING: COOPER FLAGG IS HEADING TO DALLAS 🚨🚨#MFFL pic.twitter.com/K1CXda82Xa
— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) May 12, 2025
In a vacuum (particularly a hypothetical one where a certain Slovenian was never on the team), Flagg with an all-star ensemble of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson could be a force to be reckoned with. But of course, that's not quite how fate would have it. Irving is injured. Davis will likely be injured again. Thompson, who is arguably the second biggest victim in this saga, isn't aging as kindly as he hoped. And yeah, that certain Slovenian was on the team, and yes, we miss him dearly.
What a beautiful day to fire Nico Harrison
— Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) May 12, 2025
But maybe in an abstract way, Dallas's reaction to Luka's departure could be spun as encouraging for Flagg. If the debacle has taught us anything, it's that Dallasites are fiercely loyal to the ones they love.
If Flagg is to be the pick, hopefully, he can capture the heart of the city in the way that his predecessors did. They're mighty big shoes to fill, after all.
