Why not us? (Please don’t answer that)
The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight, which means we will finally find out if your Dallas Mavericks can luck into winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. In case you have forgotten, the Mavericks have perhaps the worst lottery luck in NBA history, having never once moved up in the order. However, records are meant to be broken, and there is no time like the present to reverse history.
For the second time in three seasons, here are three things you should know before we find out if the Mavericks can win the NBA Draft Lottery.
Cooper.. then who?
This is a unique draft class, as the top of the draft is not as deep as some years. Obviously, Duke’s Cooper Flagg is at the top of the class carrying the weight of being the unquestioned number one pick. However, there aren’t really any can’t miss guys in this class. It does feel like there are a bunch of guys who you’d love to take in the twenties, however. That puts the Mavericks, who are slotted 11th in the order pre-lottery, in a weird spot. So, if they stay 11th, look for that pick to be shopped heavily.
The odds
The Mavericks have the 11th best odds to move up in the NBA Draft Lottery after winning a coin flip with the Chicago Bulls for that slot. That gives Dallas a 1.8% chance at Cooper Flagg, and an 8.5% chance at moving up into the top four (the NBA only draws for the top 4 spots in the order, then the remaining order is selected based off of record).
The full odds for the number one pick are as follows:
- Utah Jazz – 14%
- Washington Wizards – 14%
- Charlotte Hornets – 14%
- New Orleans Pelicans – 12.5%
- Philadelphia 76ers (Top 6 protected pick) – 10.5%
- Brooklyn Nets – 9%
- Toronto Raptors – 7.5%
- San Antonio Spurs – 6%
- Houston Rockets (via Phoenix Suns) – 3.8%
- Portland Trail Blazers – 3.7%
- Dallas Mavericks – 1.8%
- Chicago Bulls – 1.7%
- Sacramento Kings – 0.8%
- San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta Hawks) – 0.7%
One final Tankathon simulation
Let’s hope tonight is not this boring.
How to watch
The lottery will be shown live on ESPN at 6:00p CT before Game 4 of the Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks series.