Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has received some extremely good fortune in the NBA Draft Lottery, a stroke of luck that many believe he doesn’t deserve after trading away the face of the franchise, Luka Doncic.
Dallas now holds the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, which sets the stage for them to select high school sensation Cooper Flagg.
The franchise had just a 1.8 percent chance of winning the top pick after finishing the season with a 39-43 record. WILD.
Now-Minority owner Mark Cuban was understandably overjoyed.
Unreal
OMFG
Let’s Go Mavs
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) May 13, 2025
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts spoke with Andy Katz after Dallas’ first-ever Draft Lottery win.
“It just feels like a reversal of fortune, like of epic proportions to us,” Welts told NBATV’s Andy Katz. “I’m so happy for the fans in Dallas. …”
“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 could cure that more than this can.”
Many in Dallas are still reeling from the trade, including former mayor Tom Leppert, who served from 2007 to 2011.
He wrote an opinion piece for the Dallas Morning News and did not hold back.
“There are trades that reshape teams,” Leppert wrote. “There are trades that reset franchises. And then there are trades so reckless that they fracture a city’s trust. The decision to trade Luka belongs in the last category.”
Leppert went on to say that fans of the Mavericks deserve better.
“Dallas fans deserve better than a front office more loyal to its industry contacts than its players,” he stated. “They deserve better than a billionaire owner more focused on lobbying for casino legislation than protecting the franchise.”
“Above all, they deserve accountability. Fans invest their time, their money, and their belief in these teams. That investment deserves reciprocation. When you are the steward of a sports franchise, you are a steward of public trust.”
“This wasn’t just a bad trade. It was a betrayal and a violation of that trust. It should be hard to earn back.”
Let’s hope this draft pick can heal some fans, even if it’s just a little.
