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Rachel Nichols Calls out NBA’s Flawed Draft Lottery After Mavericks Land No. 1 Pick

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Evan Massey | Last updated May 13, 2025 9:05 AM ET

The 2025 NBA Draft lottery has come and gone, with the Dallas Mavericks making a huge jump to secure the No. 1 overall pick and the right to select Duke standout Cooper Flagg. Outside of the Mavericks, other teams made jumps up as well.

Both the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers jumped into the top three.

For the teams who had previously been given the highest odds to land the No. 1 pick, the lottery was a brutal result. Those teams, who were the worst in the NBA, will not be getting major reinforcements to turn their respective franchises around.

Due to the aggressive jumps that were seen in Monday night's lottery, Rachel Nichols is not happy with the current format of deciding who picks where.

In a post on X, Nichols called out the NBA's lottery system with a take that many fans can agree with.

"All the Luka stuff aside, the team that will draft Cooper Flagg already has three future Hall of Famers on it," she wrote.

"The team picking No. 2 already has a generational player in Wemby and the reigning Rookie of the Year. This isn't the route to competitive balance."

All the Luka stuff aside, the team that will draft Cooper Flagg already has three future Hall of Famers on it. The team picking No. 2 already has a generational player in Wemby and the reigning Rookie of the Year. This isn't the route to competitive balance. https://t.co/ueuSYu5MhL
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 12, 2025

Of course, with the Mavericks now holding the No. 1 pick, they will be able to pair Flagg, if they so choose, alongside both Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. The Spurs landing Ace Bailey would be a huge win, or they could use the pick in a big trade for a win-now player.

Those teams who suffered the worst were the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and New Orleans Pelicans. All of those teams badly needed a potential No. 1 talent to get back to winning.

With all of the criticism surrounding the draft lottery, the NBA may have a tough decision to make. At least for now, the current system remains in place as a source of frustrating and "rigging" accusations.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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