Cooper Flagg Will Save Dallas Mavericks From Themselves

14 media members and 14 team executives were in the room as the ping pong balls began to churn and the combinations were drawn up to determine the top four of the 2025 NBA Draft. They quickly saw the most improbable outcome unfold.

As Mark Tatum unveiled the envelopes at the podium in front of a live TV audience, the NBA world continued to be stunned as team after team leaped into the top four. It was the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers who grabbed three of the top four spots in the lottery, with only the Hornets expected to be there –– as they fell one spot from the pre-lottery standings.

After the commercial break, Tatum had the biggest surprise we have seen in recent lotteries. Mavericks made the 10-spot jump to the No. 1 selection to save themselves from themselves.

Just four long months removed from the perplexing decision of trading away franchise icon and one of the best players in the world, Luka Doncic, to the bright lights of Los Angeles, Nico Harrison and company were given a get out of jail free card.

For as ridiculous of a trade as it was to hand deliver Doncic to the Lakers for little return, the Dallas Mavericks should've been forced to sit with take decision for years and stew on the swap that is being compared to the Babe Ruth trade that many believed cursed the Boston Red Sox for over 80 years.

In the blink of an eye, the Mavericks were rewarded the No. 1 pick in a draft class that features a generational talent –– a perfect storm for what has been disastrous close to the season.

Now, Cooper Flagg is set to be a member of the Mavs –– short of Harrison thinking he is the smartest man in the room again –– and he can save the franchise from themselves.

Sure, being Doncic is lofty expectations to put on Flagg, but the symbol of hope that he gives to a fanbase on the brink of giving up on their favorite team is worth whatever unfolds in his NBA career.

On the court, he is viewed as a ca n't-miss player who is highlighted on the defensive end, much to the pleasure of the Mavericks' brain trust. His positional versatility, playmaking, and defensive impact make him not just a future star but a win-now contributor as a rookie.

Now, Dallas rosters Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II. Flagg lets the Mavericks stay afloat as Irving rehabs an ACL tear and is set to make some postseason noise as soon as next season. A luxury they were not afforded prior to tonight.

Not to mention the long-term potential of Flagg who has been harold as a multi-time All-NBA caliber player for the next generation of Mavericks basketball as Irving and Davis age out.

Flagg, and the ping pong balls, saved the Dallas Mavericks.