Briefly put, the Dallas Mavericks’ stunning leap from a 39-43 play-in exit to winning Monday night’s NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8% chance has reshaped their future.
This unexpected lottery win arrives months after the franchise parted ways with Luka Doncic, and sources insist the Mavericks won’t entertain trading the prized No. 1 pick.
With the NBA Draft Combine taking place this week, ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony shared his biggest takeaways from the combine when it comes to the projected No. 1 pick, Duke's Cooper Flagg.
Givony notes that, "Though Flagg initially looked shocked by the results of Monday's draft lottery, sources told ESPN that his camp realized how fortunate he is to land in Dallas. Flagg is said to be thrilled by the idea of joining a playoff-caliber roster with strong veterans and a team that has a void at the small forward position."
While nothing is set in stone, Dallas will almost certainly select Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick on June 25.
Flagg is fresh off a consensus National Player of the Year campaign where he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 37 games, leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four.
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Drafting Flagg would position him alongside veterans Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis on a roster that reached the NBA Finals in 2024.
Dallas went 50-32 in 2023-24, captured the Southwest Division crown, and advanced all the way to the Finals before falling to Boston in five games.
Now, just months after trading Doncic to Los Angeles, Dallas enters 2025 with Irving and Davis still under contract and what everyone expects to be a foundational piece for long-term contention in Flagg.