This was Nico Harrison's plan all along, right? Trade Luka, be bad enough to sneak into the draft lottery, then win the right to draft another potentially generational superstar in Cooper Flagg. Right?
No, actually. I'm not giving Nico or the Mavericks front office any credit here. You can't make me. But the Mavs did win the NBA Draft Lottery, and I'm thrilled for a fan base that had the rug pulled out from under them in the middle of last season.
Of course, those fans will all now live with paranoia that Flagg could be traded on Harrison's whim at any moment... but we'll deal with that later on. For now, it's jubilation in Big D.
Cooper Flagg will don a Mavericks jersey in just over a month, joining Anthony Davis on a completely revamped Mavs team that aims to compete in 2025. Harrison said defense wins championships and Flagg does raise the defensive ceiling of a team, so I don't think Mavs fans need to fret about Harrison flipping the ultimate middle finger to fans and passing on him.
In terms of fit, Flagg to the Mavs is about as perfect as it gets. He would have been a good fit everywhere because he's that good, but planting him between Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with Dereck Lively, PJ Washington, Naji Marshall and Max Christie flanking them equals a pretty, pretty, pretty good team.
I'm still not giving Nico Harrison any credit because he literally just lucked into a superstar, but the Mavs should be pretty formidable as soon as Flagg takes the court and Irving returns from an ACL tear.
Formidable for now, anyway. And Flagg is probably good enough to keep the team relevant as long as he's in Dallas. But building around Flagg won't be a cake walk — the franchise isn't rich with future draft picks, owning zero first-rounders in 2027 and owing a potential pick swap to OKC in 2028.
Teams can improve with non-draft methods of course, but it'll take some fancy managing from Public Enemy No. 1 in Dallas over the next few years to build a consistent competitor as Flagg develops.
Mavericks win 2025 NBA Draft lottery after entering with 1.8 percent chance
Every time Mark Tatum announced a team name that wasn't the Mavericks, my brow furrowed even further. Then there were no more picks to announce, and the Mavs were the only team left. And suddenly, we re-entered NBA Bizarro World after apparently escaping it when the Lakers lost in the first round.
I actually can't believe that just happened. A 1.8 percent chance to win it all, and the Mavs did it. I'm equally thrilled for the fans and angry that something good happened to the upper brass of the Dallas Mavericks franchise. Okay, maybe a little happier for the fans. I try to center love in my life, not spite.