DALLAS - Wednesday night, the 2025 NBA Draft was filled with anticipation as fans tuned in to see where future stars like Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, and Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe would land.
The draft certainly didn’t disappoint on the entertainment side, delivering plenty of drama and headline-worthy moments.
From shocking picks to emotional player reactions, the night had it all. Ace Bailey and Collin Murray-Boyles made waves after appearing visibly unhappy about being selected by Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors, respectively. Then came one of the most bizarre moments of the night, when Chinese center Yang Hansen was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers but wasn’t even sitting in the green room. Instead, he had to walk down from the stands to make his way to the stage.
But maybe the most talked-about moments happened right at the very start of the proceedings.
As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was introduced to the podium to officially kick off the draft, the room went silent, until a hot mic caught a fan loudly yelling, “Dallas was rigged!”
The comment was immediately followed by a chorus of boos from the rest of the crowd, creating an awkward yet electric start to the night.
The phrase wasn’t necessarily random; it’s tied to a conspiracy that’s been spreading like wildfire across the NBA community. It all began when former Dallas Mavericks golden boy Luka Dončić was shockingly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. ... A trade that, to many, seemed unreasonable, unfair, and downright baffling.
A young, generational superstar dealt for a 32-year-old veteran with a well-documented history of health issues? And no quartet of picks attached?
How? Why?
Just four months later, the controversy deepened when the Mavericks—who held just a 1.8-percent chance at landing the top pick—somehow walked away with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery.
Conspiratorial rumors suggest that Silver pressured Mavericks GM Nico Harrison into sending Dončić to Los Angeles. The alleged reason? With LeBron James nearing retirement, the NBA couldn’t afford to let the Lakers, a cornerstone franchise, enter a rebuilding phase.
The league needed a superstar in L.A. to maintain ratings, global engagement, and commercial success.
So Luka goes to the Lakers.
And the Mavs' reward for what might be the biggest and most controversially lopsided trade in NBA history? Dallas, which finished just shy of a playoff berth, walks away with the top pick in the draft, selecting none other than Cooper Flagg, a once-in-a-decade prospect who now steps into a talented, playoff-ready roster.
Now ... is this all just a wild coincidence? Maybe; there are people who've been in that ping-pong ball room who swear it's on the up and up.
But as the NBA offseason rolls on and Cooper Flagg’s name continues to dominate headlines, we bet the buzz surrounding this conspiracy isn’t going away anytime soon.
Meanwhile ...
What seems certain is that while Mavericks fans are cautiously excited to welcome Flagg to the franchise, GM Harrison remains Public Enemy No. 1 in Dallas. Because no matter how bright the future looks, the bitter truth for Mavs fans is that the face of their franchise—their guy—is now wearing purple and gold.
And maybe not even Cooper Flagg is enough to fix that.
Get more from Hayden Pustejovsky here.