NBA Draft Lottery: Dallas Mavericks win No. 1, right to draft from Cooper Flagg

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After a season full of painful losses, the Dallas Mavericks finally received a victory that counts. The MAVs won the NBA Draft Lottery 2025 on Monday evening, a significant performance – and a big surprise – that will select number 1 in the draft in June and the right to choose Duke Star Cooper Flag. The Mavericks only had a 1.8 percent chance of making the top election.

Flagg is the consensus top player in the design this year and in its own level. He has been the alleged first overall election since last summer when he looked around in the US basketball camp in Las Vega's heads and maybe before.

He is a 6-foot 9 striker with transcendent defensive talent and an emerging offensive game. He was the National College player of the year last season and helped the Blue Devils to reach the Final Four. He achieved an average of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. He also met 38.5 percent of his 3S.

Flagg dominated even though he was one of the youngest players in this design class. He will only be a few months in his rookie season 19.

While the Mavericks will celebrate all night, there are some other teams in a good position even after the lottery, even if they are probably flag. The San Antonio Spurs landed the No. 2 selection, while the Philadelphia 76ers received the third and Charlotte Hornets number 4 overall.

It is believed that the tip of the draft from 2025 is strong, and the players who are highly available in the lottery are also regarded as potential differences. Rutgers Point Guard Dylan Harper is the alleged overall election of number 2; With 6: 6, the son of the five-time NBA champion Ron Harper has a knack for getting to the edge and playing. Rutgers Forward Ace Bailey, Baylor Guard VJ Edgecompbe and Duke Wing Kon Knueppel could all go into the top 5.

But in the lottery it was always about the man at the top of this design class.

The race for flag was an undercut in this NBA season when the teams rose to the pole position in the Monday. Jazz ended with the worst record of the league, but Utah, Washington and Charlotte had a 14 percent chance to win the lottery.

At least for a team, the next six weeks will be easy. The Mavericks are on the clock and can sit and wait until June 25, on the first night of the design.

A victory for Nico Harrison after Luka trade

I am not sure whether Nico Harrison is happier about the fact that Luka Dončić is emitted from the first round of the playoffs or the Mavericks with No. 1 selection. But the lottery gods seem to be on the Mavs with the 1.8 percent chances.

Harrison has preached a defensive way of thinking since he shocked the world by sending Dončić to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Since the 2024 trade closes, he has been building a gigantic front of strikers and centers. Adding flag to the mixture only strengthens this belief, even if it complicates logistics here.

Flagg can probably play 3 for the MAVs immediately. He is quick, nimble and his sportiness projects him in order to be able to defend a lot to the scope. So you can convince yourself of a front in which he, Advertisement and Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II or PJ Washington, can be seen at some point. The problem is that five of these types in the rotation will be a logjam of minutes.

It is a good problem because you can bring one or two of these people away for some helped help and the extent and the wax positions. This gets worse if Kyrie Irving cannot immediately bounce back from the knee injury he had suffered in the middle of the season.

MAVS fans had justified reasons to be angry with the Luka advertising gift, but one of them was how much older this team did and how much shorter their window did. This does not let anyone forget Luka in Dallas, but at least this timeline is balanced and at the same time fits into Nico's sermon. It will be this “Fire Nico!” Still don't calm down! Chants we heard. – Zach Harper, NBA writer

2025 NBA Draft Lottery Order

1. Dallas Mavericks
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. Utah jazz
6. Washington Wizards
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Brooklyn Nets
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Houston Rockets
11. Portland Trail Blazer
12. Chicago Bulls
13. Atlanta Hawks
14. San Antonio Spurs

This story is updated.

(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)