The NBA Draft Lottery results are in, and the Dallas Mavericks have secured the No. 1 pick. That means Cooper Flagg, right? I would really love to believe that the Dallas fans who watched their franchise cornerstone get traded away for a fraction of his value in the middle of the season will have reason to be happy tonight.
Dallas had less than a 2 percent chance of landing that critical No. 1 pick in this draft, and they’ve done it. There is a true standout in this draft class, and there is no one who can get in the way of drafting him. But there is one thing you can’t forget: Nico Harrison is an idiot.
He’s not a normal idiot. He’s a big public bad idiot whose bad idiot ways affect millions of people without any recourse. A big, powerful bad idiot. Also, he thinks he’s smart, and that’s the worst kind of idiot. Those are the kinds of idiots you want to keep far away from positions of power because the smart people look dumb to them. “If they were smart, they’d agree with me,” the idiot thinks. Then the smart people get replaced with more bad idiots.
Nico Harrison is an idiot. Unfortunately, he is also the General Manager of the Mavericks.
Is it possible Cooper Flagg does not find his way into a Mavs uniform?
Nico has already spoken about believing his tenure at the Mavericks will only last a few years. Long-term decision making seems to be something he considers childish or naive. (He’s an idiot, remember.)
Young players are investments. You need to put time and care and training into turning them into the best versions of themselves eventually, years down the line. Nico wants good players now though. He wants that championship before he fires everyone else, and there’s not another soul to blame. Just him alone in a dark room with a personalized copy of ChatGPT that calls him "Sir Nico the GOAT."
I bet that Cooper Flagg pick could bring back a win-now, defensive minded player like a D’Anthony Melton or a Dillon Brooks. Real difference makers.
I realize this sounds ridiculous. Unfortunately, the very lowest levels of Nico Harrison decision-making goes all the way down to “ridiculous.” He’s earned his reputation. Just like he didn’t earn this draft pick.
It’s amazing that the villain of the 2025 NBA season gets rewarded for being an idiot. I can’t say I’m especially happy about this. I do hope the Mavs fans find some relief with this. Hopefully it doesn't extend Nico's time as the one in charge of the Mavericks' direction. And hopefully this wasn't rigged, because if it was then this was Vince-McMahon-level bad booking.