Flagg Captured: Mavericks Fans, Rejoice After the Shocking NBA Lottery Results

By Jorge Ian Guajardo 

Cooper Flagg, the coveted six-foot-nine wing, will be calling Dallas his home for the next few years after the one of the largest draft lottery upsets in NBA draft lottery history occurred Monday evening.  

The Dallas Mavericks entered the lottery with just a 1.8% chance of having the number one pick fall into their hands and an 8.5% chance of even landing a top-four pick. Making this one of the biggest draft lottery upsets since the league created the lottery in 1985. Some may remember that the Magic won the lottery in 1993 with just a 1.5% chance of winning the number one pick.  

For the Mavericks, after a tumultuous season where they shipped off franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, for what most pundits and fans considered a modest haul, a twist of fate has them in position to add a player who many in basketball consider to be a “generational talent,” in Cooper Flagg.  

Flagg, fresh off a final-four run for the Duke Blue Devils, will be in a position to play with multiple all-stars in Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, assuming Irving re-signs with the Mavs in the off-season.  

For Flagg, however, much may be asked of him from the get-go, not unlike what was asked of Luka Doncic upon his arrival in Dallas. Irving will likely be out for the first part of the season, and Davis also finished the Mavs' season dealing with injuries as well, and his track record with missing time is not something that instills hope in Mavericks fans.  

Yet, unlike Doncic, there are existing pieces in Dallas that were a part of a finals run just a season ago. If there is a glaring need for the Mavs, it’s ironically a shot-creating playmaker to fill the void Doncic left after he was traded. Something Flagg has shown, and improved on at Duke as their season went along. Once again, a parallel with Doncic’s start with Dallas.  

For the Mavericks organization, particularly general manager Nico Harrison, who has caught an amazing amount of flak for the deal that sent Doncic to LA, the draft lottery falling the way it did must feel like a huge bailout and an opportunity to not only ease the tempers of Mavs fans but also put that “defense wins championships,” mantra to the test. 

In light of Dallas being awarded the rights of first refusal for Flagg’s services, many across the basketball world, from players to fans alike, have wondered about the validity of the league's lottery.  

Speculation has run rampant, and in the context of the Luka Doncic deal, the notion that some backroom deal to send Doncic to LA and spurn the Mavs and their fans, with the idea that the franchise would be rewarded with Flagg in return, as crazy as that sounds, is something that is being discussed across social media. Cryptic tweets aside, speculation is all that will be.  

What stands out factually about the lottery is that in the entirety of the Mavericks’ existence as a franchise, they have, not once, ever moved up from their seeded position. This is the first time in their history that they have gained any ground in the lottery, to make it all the way to the first pick truly is extraordinary. Another interesting thing to note is the that the San Antonio Spurs, who won the second pick, have never moved down in the lottery.  

And what about teams like the Jazz and Hornet? Teams that were expecting to land the Duke phenom. Utah had the best odds, and were also a part of the Doncic deal and they didn’t even crack the top four.  

Sports is a brutal, viciously fatal ballet, one minute you’re dancing in the clouds, four wins away from bringing home a second title with a homegrown player like Luka Doncic. Next thing you know, confetti is falling on an owner’s head and suddenly Doncic finds himself in LA and the Mavs out of the playoffs.  

Mavs fans are all too familiar with the bitter bite of fate, and for a change, on Monday evening a sweet turn of fortune has them once again with a chance to see a generational talent playing in a Mavericks jersey.