Mavericks CEO makes ‘conspiracy’ confession after ‘surreal’ lottery win

The Dallas Mavericks hit the lottery, literally. After a topsy-turvy season, the Mavericks secured the No.1 pick (Cooper Flagg) in the NBA Draft, with 1.8% odds. 

They were expected to be a lower-tier team in the draft lottery. Then they jumped ten spots to get the No.1 pick. The latter has called into question the legitimacy of the draft lottery, and suspicions of a “fix” are in the air.

Ironically, according to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts is expressing conspiratorial vibes by harking back to one of the most consequential drafts in NBA history. 

“I’m the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago. I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I’ve been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally.”

The Mavericks are still reeling from the trading of Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, which left a huge void amongst the team and the fans. In the eyes of the fans, the culprit for the move has been general manager Nico Harrison, as the slogan “Fire Nico” has permeated throughout the city of Dallas. 

As far as a conspiracy goes, it helps to return to where it all started. 

The “conspiracy” of the 1985 NBA Draft 

Before the Mavericks, there was the New York Knicks. In 1985, the Knicks won the No. 1 draft pick in the lottery, which later turned out to be Patrick Ewing. 

It was also the first year of the draft lottery. In the years since, suspicions have been raised that the lottery was fixed in favor of the Knicks. 

The theory is that their envelope was frozen, so it was easy for then NBA commissioner David Stern to select them. 

Perhaps the theory surrounding the Mavericks revolves around the league trying to give them a bonus after trading Doncic.