The Dallas Mavericks headed into Monday night’s draft lottery with a measly 1.8 percent chance of netting the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. But by a stroke of luck, the best-case scenario happened for the Mavericks, and they now own the top pick in next month’s draft.
One person within the Mavericks organization who was excited about the news of the team winning the lottery was minority owner Mark Cuban. He apparently called owner Patrick Dumont to inform him that the Mavericks landed the No. 1 overall pick, but Cuban was “so busy screaming” on the phone that Dumont couldn’t make out exactly what he said.
“I’m told Patrick Dumont was at a track meet of one of his kids and couldn’t watch the lottery live,” Brad Townsend wrote in a post on X. “His phone rang and it was Mark Cuban, telling him the Mavs were in the top 4.
“Phone rang again and Dumont thought Cuban said Mavs got No. 1 pick, but Cuban was so busy screaming he couldn’t make out all the words.”
The San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz are now in line to draft next after Dallas this year.
The No. 1 overall pick is quite a consolation prize for the Mavericks after they just recently wrapped up a disastrous 2024-25 season. The defending Western Conference champions made a head-scratching move when they parted ways with franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic before the trade deadline, and the team didn’t even make the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Fans of the Mavericks now have a reason to be excited about the future again following such a bleak past few months.
Dallas could prove to be quite a formidable team in the 2025-26 campaign if guard Kyrie Irving and big man Anthony Davis are available when it counts and the team adds an elite prospect with the No. 1 pick. It seems that if Dallas doesn’t move the pick, the team will likely select Duke University product Cooper Flagg.
Flagg seemingly has the makings of a future star at the NBA level and was maybe the best player in all of college basketball in the 2024-25 campaign. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 37 total contests played with the Blue Devils.
The 2025 NBA Draft is slowly approaching, as it’s scheduled to begin on June 25. It will take place not long after the NBA Finals come to an end and an NBA champion is crowned.
