May 13 (UPI) — The Dallas Mavericks achieved a “reversal of fortune” by winning the 2025 NBA Draft lottery and the chance to select star prospect Cooper Flagg, CEO Rick Welts said.
Welts made the comments during a broadcast of the event Monday on ESPN and NBA TV. The Mavericks, who had just a 1.8% chance — the 11th best odds — to get the top pick, became the first team in lottery history to climb 10 spots to snag the prize.
The 1993 Orlando Magic (1.52%), 2014 Cleveland Cavaliers 1.7% and 2008 Chicago Bulls (1.7%) were the only teams with worse odds before securing the pick.
“It just feels like a reversal of fortune of epic proportions to us in Dallas,” Welts said. “I’m so happy for the fans in Dallas.”
Flagg is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which will be held June 25 and 26 in Brooklyn, but neither the Mavericks, nor the top prospect would publicly commit to the union Monday.
“It’s just an incredible experience to be here, to have this opportunity,” Flagg said. “I mean, this is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid. Just to be here is an incredible experience and a great opportunity.”
Flagg, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game during his lone season at Duke, received multiple National Player of the Year awards. He also received ACC All-Defense accolades and helped lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four.
Now, the 6-foot-9 forward, touted for his fluidity and agility as well as his physicality, could slide into a lineup that features All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, forward/guard Klay Thompson and forward/center Anthony Davis, among others.
That outlook seems sunny when contrasted with the turbulence of the Mavericks’ 2024-25 season, which included the departure of All-Star guard Luka Doncic and a rash of injuries. The Mavericks, who were in the NBA Finals in June, proceeded to go 39-43 in 2024-25.
“I’m so thrilled,” Welts said. “I can’t wait to get back there. I know how fans feel about this team and what a tumultuous season it’s been for them. I can’t think of anything that can cure that more than this can.”
Welts said a team including Flagg and his current cast was “unrealistic,” but also said the Mavericks “haven’t made the pick yet.”
“The excitement surrounding this is really what our franchise needed,” Welts said.
The Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, who were tied for the best odds (14%) to win the lottery, earned the right to pick fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
The San Antonio Spurs, who had the eighth-best odds to pick first, earned the No. 2 pick. The Philadelphia 76ers are set to pick third. The New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets own pick Nos. 7 through 10.
Rutgers guard Dylan Harper and guard/forward Ace Bailey join Flagg as projected Top 3 picks. Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe and Duke guard/forward Kon Knueppel also are expected to be early picks.
The moment we won #MFFL pic.twitter.com/KfsitX1tFE— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 13, 2025
The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft will air at 8 p.m. EDT June 25 at ABC and ESPN.
“For us, it’s been a rough year, as y’all know,” former Mavericks star Rolando Blackman, the franchise’s on-stage representative, told ESPN. “The important part of the whole thing is that we’ll get a chance to move our franchise forward.”
