Dallas Mavericks to Run Back Same Draft Lottery Formula That Won Them Cooper Flagg

We are six days away from the NBA holding its annual draft lottery. For the second year in a row, the Dallas Mavericks are hoping to make a big jump up to the first pick. They took just a 1.8% chance and won the lottery last year, which they used to take Cooper Flagg.

This year, the Mavericks hold a 6.7% chance of jumping up to the first pick. They finished tied for the 7th-worst record in the NBA, but lost a random drawing to give them the 8th-best odds. That means they have a higher chance of dropping to 10th, which could be catastrophic.

To try and see if lightning will strike twice, the Mavericks are sending the same representatives to the lottery in Chicago on Sunday, as franchise legend Rolando Blackman will be the on-screen representative, while assistant general manager Matt Riccardi will be the off-screen rep, per NBA insider Marc Stein. This is the exact same setup they had last year.

This news was announced before Masai Ujiri was appointed as Team President and Alternate Governor, which made some people believe Riccardi could be in the driver's seat to take over as the full-time GM, but that proved not to be the case. Riccardi had been a co-interim GM, along with Michael Finley.

The lottery reveal will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST on ABC.

May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; Rolando Blackman of the Dallas Mavericks reacts after winning the the first pick during the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks Need to Get Lucky Once Again

It's been well documented that this is the last year the Mavericks control their first-round pick until 2031, so they have to hit on this pick. If not, it's going to be very hard to build a team moving forward around Cooper Flagg, who looks to be a future superstar. They still need to give him a lot of help, as evidenced by this season.

If they can jump into the top three and take either AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, or Darryn Peterson, that should set the Mavs up for a prosperous future. Some people would put Cameron Boozer in that group, but some, including myself, are not believers in him translating to the NBA.

However, even if they stay around the 8th pick, there are a lot of talented guards available, which is the biggest weakness of the Mavs. Whether it's Alabama's Labaron Philon, Arizona's Brayden Burries, or Houston's Kingston Flemings, there should be a guard there to take.

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