Everyone's Saying The Same Thing About NBA Draft Lottery Results

Meet The Soccer Star Girlfriend Of Cooper Flagg (1:24)

An improbable outcome to Monday’s NBA Draft lottery feels conspicuously convenient to some fans.

To the astonishment of many viewers, the Dallas Mavericks defied the odds and won the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. They entered Monday with a 1.8 percent chance of landing the top selection, which they will presumably use to select Duke standout Cooper Flagg.

The random draw could save a Mavericks franchise reeling from a disastrous Luka Doncic trade. As a result, NBA fans are crying conspiracy on social media.

“You cannot convince me the NBA isn’t rigged after that Lottery result,” a fan declared.

“I’m not a big conspiracy theorist but it seems awfully convenient that the Mavericks traded Luka to the NBA’s biggest market and then got Cooper Flagg in return months later, despite having just a 1.8% chance to land the number one pick,” Joe Pompliano wrote.

“The NBA is never beating the rigged allegations,” a fan wrote with a graphic from ESPN’s broadcast showing that only three teams have overcome worse odds to win the lottery.

“We all know the lottery is rigged but this is on a different level,” a fan claimed. “Did the NBA promise them the 1st pick to get Luka to LA??”

“NBA 100% rigged this draft lottery to reward Dallas for agreeing to the league-administered Luka trade,” a fan claimed.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 30: Nico Harrison of the Dallas Mavericks holds the Oscar Robertson Western Conference Finals Championship trophy after the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals during the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 30, 2024 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

David Sherman/Getty Images

This is where we should probably note that not everything is a vast conspiracy. The Mavericks probably just benefited from dumb luck to land a franchise-saving lifeline.

But onlookers can’t help but feel like — whether by an inside job or randomness — the Mavericks got rewarded for what many consider one of the worst trades ever.

Three months ago, the Mavericks stunned the NBA world by sending Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a package led by Anthony Davis. General manager Nico Harrison claimed he moved the young All-NBA superstar to help the team’s immediate contention hopes, but they instead fell out of the playoffs when Davis and Kyrie Irving got injured.

A year after winning the Western Conference, Dallas finished 39-43 and lost a play-in game to the Golden State Warriors. Ten teams finished with a worse record, but the Mavericks can now rebuild around Flagg.