The Mavericks winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes gives Nico Harrison a second chance

Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA Writer

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison just got thrown a life raft fashioned from ping-pong balls.

The Mavericks, who had a 1.8 percent chance of winning Monday’s NBA Draft lottery, won the top pick in the 2025 draft and the sweepstakes for consensus top-pick Cooper Flagg with a combination of four ping-pong balls.

It’s a shocking floating device for Harrison, who had been treading water since he traded the then-25-year-old generational superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in February.

That move not only stunned the NBA world, but it alienated a fanbase to the point where “Fire Nico” chants became commonplace at Mavericks home games, and no one blinked an eye when a reporter asked him after the season ended: “Why shouldn’t you be fired?”

Now, in just over six weeks, the Mavericks will likely select Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Duke, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Blue Devils, leading them to a 35-4 record and a Final Four appearance.

The Mavericks – with the 11th best odds going into Monday’s lottery – jumped 10 spots to get the No. 1 pick, which was the biggest jump by any team in lottery history, according to ESPN Research.

“There is no f—king way,” Miami Heat’s Kevin Love wrote on X. Lakers superstar LeBron James also weighed in on X, posting nine emojis of a face laughing so hard it’s crying.

For the second time this season, the Mavericks left everyone’s mouths agape.

After the Mavericks dealt Doncic, a top three player in the league who easily has another 10 years ahead of him, there was widespread shock from players, fans – and even Doncic and Davis themselves. When the news broke days before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, many people thought it was fake.

Similarly, the Mavericks winning the draft lottery seemed so improbable that immediately after it was announced, the internet was ablaze with rumors that the lottery was rigged.

“I was in charge of the draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won,” Mavericks CEO Rick Welts told reporters. “I’ve been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally.”

Now, Harrison might have a chance to redeem himself, even though this was nothing but pure luck.

Harrison had long defended the Doncic trade as a win-now move, adding that defense wins championships and Davis was one of the best defenders in the league. Now, they’ll also have Flagg, an elite two-way player who’s expected to immediately impact winning.

The 18-year-old Flagg was a unanimous first-team All-American selection and the consensus National Player of the Year. He also won the Wooden Award, Naismith Award and AP National Player of the Year.

The Mavericks will likely boast a starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Flagg, Davis and Daniel Gafford, a formidable combination of offensive and defensive firepower.

There’s no questioning that their chances of being legitimate title-contenders just skyrocketed, even with Irving missing the first months of next season as he recovers from a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered in March.

“For us, it’s been a rough year, as you all know,” Mavericks representative Rolando Blackman said Monday on the ESPN broadcast. “The important part of the whole thing is we’ll get a chance to move our franchise forward.”

As for Harrison, he’ll get a chance to rewrite his narrative.

After making what was considered one of the worst mistakes in NBA history, the basketball gods threw him a franchise-altering lob.

It marked the first time in 17 draft lotteries that the Mavericks got a higher pick than projected. Of 1,001 ping-pong ball combinations, the Mavericks entered the lottery with only 18, giving them the fourth-longest odds by a lottery winner in NBA history.

It was a stunning stroke of luck for a team that seemingly irreparably shocked its fanbase into full-blown disillusionment just three months earlier.

Now, the Mavericks, who were eliminated in the play-in tournament, have newfound hope and a chance to begin repairing things with their fans.

As for Harrison?

He’ll get a rare opportunity: A second chance to make the Mavericks a winning franchise.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.