Mavericks win NBA draft lottery with 1.8% odds

The Dallas Mavericks moved previous the Luka Doncic commerce in resounding style Monday by profitable the NBA draft lottery and the accompanying proper to pick Duke’s Cooper Flagg in June with the No. 1 decide.

The Mavericks had only a 1.8% likelihood to win the lottery and jumped 10 spots to seize the highest decide, the most important transfer by any group in lottery historical past, in response to ESPN Analysis.

The unlikely victory within the lottery comes solely three months after Dallas traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, a transfer that drew widespread criticism from the fan base.

“I am so happy for Mavericks fans,” Dallas CEO Rick Welts stated, clutching the envelope with the No. 1 emblazoned on it. “I only got to Dallas Jan. 1 this year. Feb. 1, we broke the internet [with the Doncic trade]. I am just amazed at the depth of emotion and connection that the fan base has with this team. And what happened today, I can’t imagine a better day for Mavs fans. It’s going to really be something special. I can’t wait to get back to Dallas.”

Flagg, a 6-foot-9 ahead, has been thought of the front-runner to be the highest decide within the draft since August 2023, when he introduced his resolution to graduate highschool a 12 months early and enroll in a school as a 17-year-old.

Regardless of being one of the closely anticipated freshmen to enter the school recreation in a number of years, Flagg exceeded expectations by profitable practically each main nationwide participant of the 12 months award, averaging 19.2 factors, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, and main the Blue Devils (35-4) to a Last 4 look.

“I don’t know who we’re going to take, but should we take him, I think his résumé is pretty strong,” Welts stated. “Every time he’s put in a situation that everyone wondered if he could succeed, he’s succeeded and then some.”

San Antonio — with back-to-back rookies of the 12 months in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Citadel — will decide second, Philadelphia will decide third, and Charlotte will decide fourth.

“When you jump into the top four again, you put yourself as an organization in a place to make a really big acquisition with a really good player,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stated. “And that’s what we’re going to look forward to doing.”

Utah (17-65), Washington (18-64), and Charlotte (19-63) entered the evening with the most effective odds of profitable the lottery with a 14% shot, adopted by New Orleans (21-61) at 12.5%. Utah (fifth) and Washington (sixth) fell exterior the highest 4 regardless of having the 2 worst data within the NBA final 12 months.

Beneath the brand new system applied in 2019 — which flattens the lottery odds in an try and discourage tanking — the group with the worst file has but to win the draft lottery.

New Orleans will decide seventh, Brooklyn eighth, Toronto ninth, Houston tenth, Portland eleventh, Chicago twelfth, Atlanta thirteenth and San Antonio 14th.

Dallas’ lottery win follows a latest pattern of upsets on the prime of the draft; Atlanta gained the draft lottery final 12 months with 3% odds.

Projected to be drafted after Flagg are a pair of freshmen from Rutgers in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, every of whom can be closely studied by the groups on the prime of the draft.

Harper, a 6-foot-6 level guard, broke the freshman scoring file at Rutgers whereas ending because the fifth-best scorer within the Massive Ten Convention. His excellent ballhandling potential, passing creativity, ending talent and general scoring potential make him a really sturdy candidate to be drafted early.

“This draft is really strong at the top, especially in the top three and we’re very excited,” 76ers basketball operations president Daryl Morey stated.

After Harper, a pool of gamers, together with Bailey, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, Texas wing Tre Johnson, Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears and Duke middle Khaman Maluach, can be vying to be subsequent as much as hear their names referred to as throughout the first spherical.

The draft will happen on June 25-26 (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) on the Barclays Middle in Brooklyn, New York.

The Related Press contributed to this report.