The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Draft lottery on Monday, securing the No. 1 pick in June’s draft and the chance to select Duke forward Cooper Flagg. Entering the lottery with a slim 1.8% chance of winning, the Mavericks outperformed expectations. Following Dallas, the San Antonio Spurs will pick second, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, and Utah Jazz. Teams with 14% chances, like the Jazz and Washington Wizards, unexpectedly fell out of the top four, with the Wizards now selecting sixth, and the New Orleans Pelicans, who had a 12.5% chance, dropping to seventh.
After missing the playoffs—due in part to a controversial trade that sent franchise player Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers—the Mavericks now have an opportunity to bolster their roster with Flagg, who has been projected as the top pick since re-classifying in 2023. At just 18, Flagg made a name for himself by earning All-Tournament honors during the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup and practicing with the USA Select Team ahead of the Paris Olympics.
In his freshman season with Duke, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, contributing to the team’s Final Four run. The NBA draft will take place on June 25, with the second round on June 26. Due to a tampering investigation involving the New York Knicks in 2022, there will only be 59 picks this year. The full lottery results are as follows: Mavericks, Spurs, 76ers, Hornets, Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans, Nets, Raptors, Rockets, Trail Blazers, Bulls, Hawks, and Spurs (via Atlanta).
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