The Dallas Mavericks’ rollercoaster 2025 continued with an unlikely NBA Draft Lottery win.
Defying a probability of just a 1.8 percent chance, the shock winners of the NBA Draft Lottery were the Dallas Mavericks.
Much maligned Maverick general manager Nico Harrison has landed on his feet after a towering fall from grace, with the team now in possession of the number one overall pick.
Former NBA star Blake Griffin was as stunned as everybody else, telling Yahoo Sport: “It’s almost so crazy that it can’t be a conspiracy theory.”
Amid all the celebration, Mavericks fans have also been left in fear that Nico Harrison might trade the number one pick away, in an attempt to make another big swing.
Blake Griffin believes there should be no debate over what the Mavericks should do, they should keep the number one pick and take Cooper Flagg. But he also pointed out that they should have never traded away Luka Doncic.
He said: “I saw somebody talking about, like, should the Mavs move that pick? I think that’s a terrible idea.
“But to be fair, I also thought moving Luka for that was also a bad idea.
“So, I mean why would you? I don’t think you trade that pick at all.”
Blake Griffin likes the fit for expected number one pick Cooper Flagg in Dallas, especially once Kyrie Irving is fit to play again after suffering a torn ACL in February.
He said: “I think adding Cooper Flagg to Anthony Davis, to Klay, to Kyrie when he’s healthy, I like that team.
“I think Cooper is going to be impactful right away. That’s a very, very good team.”
The Mavericks now have a shot at redemption after the Doncic trade backlash, and a season that ended in the Play-In Tournament.
Their Draft Lottery success was celebrated by the Mavs’ GM and the staff, with Griffin adding: “I know Nico was watching that lottery, like, ‘come on, I need this’.”
