Mar 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd yells to his team during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavericks land first overall pick in 2025 NBA Draft

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated May 12, 2025 7:26 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs after a hectic 2024-25 season, as injuries and bad trades kept them from reaching their ceiling. So, for the second time in the last three seasons, Dallas will be selecting in the Draft's lottery as everyone hopes to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg.

Monday night was when the ping pong balls were dropped and the picks in the lottery were finalized. The Mavericks entered the night with the 11th-best odds of selecting 1st overall at 1.8% and an 8.5% chance of jumping into the top four. So, did the balls bounce in favor of the Mavericks with franchise icon Rolando Blackman in attendance as the representative?

The Mavericks landed the first overall pick. This is the first time that the Dallas Mavericks have ever jumped up in their 18 tries in the Lottery. They'll have a chance at an elite prospect in Cooper Flagg, making this just the second time in franchise history they'll pick first, last selecting Mark Aguirre in 1981.

It has been over 30 years since they picked inside the top four, last selecting Jason Kidd 2nd overall in the 1994 Draft. The last time they were in the top five was in 2018 when they selected Trae Young and flipped him for Luka Doncic.

Dallas was 10th overall in 2023, their most recent trip to the Lottery, when they selected Cason Wallace out of Kentucky, but they flipped him and the bloated salary of Davis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the draft rights to the 12th pick, Dereck Lively II.

There will be a question of whether or not Nico Harrison keeps this pick. There is some thinking around the NBA that they could use it in a trade to bring in a more "win-now" player who better fits the team's timeline. Granted, Harrison willingly shrunk the team's title contention window when he traded away 25-year-old Luka Doncic for 31-year-old Anthony Davis. The team needs some more young, cheap talent as they brush against the tax aprons.

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft will be held on Wednesday, June 25th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, at 7 p.m. CST.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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