The Dallas Mavericks will have the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after winning the lottery on Monday night. It's a massive win for a franchise that hasn't had many since the calendar turned to 2025 and after the Luka Doncic trade.
The expectation is for the Mavericks to select Duke star Cooper Flagg, which is the easy choice. It gives hope to a fanbase that was out of it after the trade and all the injuries forced the team to miss the playoffs. But that isn't stopping the jokes from flying.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic
Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts before the game against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Mychal Thompson, father of Mavericks guard Klay Thompson and the radio color commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers, poked fun at the Mavs after they won the Draft Lottery, posting on X/Twitter "And the good thing is Luka will only be 31 [when] Dallas trades Coop to the Lakers in 5 years…"
And the good thing is Luka will only be 31 wen Dallas trades Coop to the Lakers in 5 years…
— Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) May 13, 2025
Everyone couldn't believe it when Nico Harrison decided to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a package only including Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Even if someone could talk themselves into trading Doncic, getting that small of a return is asset malpractice.
It seems the Mavericks are realizing what kind of redemption they were given when they landed the first pick in the 2025 Draft, despite having only a 1.8% chance of doing so. They'll use Cooper Flagg to help them win now and be their foundation for the future. Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson are already in their 30s with injury histories, so they're not guaranteed to be elite players even just afew years from now. Flagg helps mitigate the loss of Luka Doncic, even if it will take a lot more than that to fully heal the fanbase.
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