The Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft lottery and took Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick. Earlier that year, they traded Luka Dončić — a move that ultimately sent Dallas into a rebuild– but it did not have to wait long to find a franchise superstar. Some people believe the Mavericks did not just get lucky but were given the No. 1 pick.
Pablo Torre Reveals NBA Owners’ Thoughts on Dallas Mavericks Winning 2025 Draft Lottery
Sports journalist Pablo Torre went on the “Chapo Trap House” podcast on Feb. 17. He revealed two NBA owners’ thoughts regarding the 2025 lottery result.
“I’ll tell you that I remember I was at an event, and I spoke to two NBA owners. This was the day after the NBA lottery. And those two owners were both like, ‘This was obviously fixed.’ I’m not saying that it was fixed for the Mavs. I’m simply saying that it’s not just you, Will, and people on the Internet, who are saying, ‘This seems fixed to me, and I believe it to be so,'” expressed Torre.
“I’ll tell you that I remember I was at an event and I spoke to two NBA owners. This was the day after the NBA lottery. And those two owners were both like, this was obviously fixed.” – @PabloTorre on Dallas winning the draft lottery
Via Chapo Trap House: https://t.co/Mskn1D21Jd pic.twitter.com/AGNHOrhwca
— Dru (@dru_star) February 18, 2026
Following the lottery results, NBA fans and even players took to social media to express their feelings about the Mavericks’ fortunes. LeBron James tweeted nine laughing emojis. Kevin Love wrote, “I mean, come on, man,” and added more laughs. One fan tweeted, “Adam Silver ruined the league.”
The Mavericks only had a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery- the fourth-worst odds. Torre emphasized that even NBA owners could not believe the result. “I’m saying literally two NBA owners did not trust the hand of Adam Silver to remain out of the proceedings in terms of rigging the NBA Draft Lottery,” concluded Torre.
Regardless of whether Silver rigged the lottery, Flagg will remain on the Mavericks. Unsurprisingly, he is having an amazing rookie campaign, averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.2 steals. He and Kon Knueppel, two college teammates at Duke University, will battle for the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year over the final third of the season.
Flagg underwent an MRI that revealed a left midfoot sprain before the All-Star break. He did not participate in the Rising Stars game on Feb. 13, but ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported the 19-year-old should be available after the break.
Dallas traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. It also officially ruled out Kyrie Irving for the remainder of this season, as he recovers from a torn ACL. The star guard wants to come back as close to 100% as he can next season.
Dallas sits in 12th in the Western Conference with a 19-35 record. They will prioritize Flagg’s development heavily down the stretch and hope for another lucky break in 2026, which is considered a loaded draft class.
