Mavericks' history doesn't bode well for NBA Draft Lottery

Dallas is looking to do something they've never done on Monday night.

Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) stretches prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks missed the NBA playoffs for the second time in the last three years with a trip to the NBA Finals sandwiched between them. That puts them in the Draft Lottery, which will be held on Monday night.

Dallas only holds a 1.8% chance of jumping up to the top spot for a chance at Cooper Flagg, and a 2.5% chance to jump to fourth. The odds aren't in their favor, and neither is the history.

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Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's David Kenyon compiled research for every team in the NBA Draft lottery to see who has been the unluckiest. Dallas sits as the third unluckiest team in NBA history behind only the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat, as they've been in the lottery 17 times, fallen 12 spots, and have never moved up.

"Similarly, beyond the obvious it-means-you-missed-the-playoffs reason, the Dallas Mavericks want nothing to do with the lottery.
Down, down, and only down.
Within these 17 appearances, the Mavericks have experienced a drop six times and no change in the other 11 years. Dallas tumbled four positions in 1986, three in 1993—goodbye, top pick Chris Webber, hello Jamal Mashburn—and two in 2018.
After the shocking trade of Luka Doncic, Dallas is left hoping for a miracle as a low-percentage team in the 2025 lottery."

The Mavs ended up trading back up in 2018 to secure the services of Luka Doncic, but it cost them a future first-round pick. The 1986 Draft was a weak one, as Brad Daugherty was the only player to make an All-Star Game of anyone selected within the first 22 picks. There were some solid players selected down the board, like Mark Price (who the Mavericks actually selected in the second round before trading him to Cleveland on draft night), Dennis Rodman, and Drazen Petrovic, but the first round didn't have much talent.

That doesn't bode well for Monday night's lottery. Dallas fans need some good news after a season marred by injuries and the horrific Luka Doncic trade, so jumping up in the lottery to secure a premium talent would be huge to reestablish some hope. They selected Cason Wallace in the 2023 NBA Draft, their most recent appearance in the lottery, before turning around and trading him to the OKC Thunder for the draft rights of Dereck Lively II, a deal that's worked for both sides.

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