Last night we finally saw generational prospect Cooper Flagg drafted at the #1 spot. With comparisons made to LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, Flagg is expected to dominate the league, even in his first season starting later this year.
The Rookie from Duke was drafted by the Mavericks on Wednesday after skipping last year’s draft and staying with his college for an extra year. But how did the Mavericks manage to get the #1 draft with such small odds? Let’s take a look at the events that led up to the draft and what factors affected the result.
Trading Luka Doncic
This year we witnessed the biggest trade in NBA history, and it came out of nowhere. Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers back in February. At the time, there was little to no explanation as to why this trade was made. To even think about trading the face of your franchise for an aging Anthony Davis seemed impossible… but here we are.
It came out that the General Manager of the Mavericks didn’t see potential in Luka Doncic returning to full health after an injury and a massive increase in weight. Although Luka carried the Mavericks to the Finals in 2024, it still wasn’t enough for the front office in Dallas and he was traded to the NBA’s biggest market, the LA Lakers.
However, even after the explanation given by Nico Harrison and the Mavericks, things still didn’t seem right. Until the night of the NBA Draft Lottery.
The NBA Draft Lottery
The Draft Lottery is a system that determines the order of picks in the draft for each team. Teams with a worse record that season have higher odds of getting the #1 pick. Although this system is fair to all teams, and eliminates teams from purposefully losing to get the top pick.
This year the Mavericks had a 1.8% chance of getting the #1 pick in the 2025 draft, and yet, they got it. Immediately, fans grew suspicious of the events that led up to the draft and started asking questions about the legitimacy of the lottery and whether the NBA tampered with the system to benefit the Mavericks.
We’ll never know if Luka’s trade to the Lakers was orchestrated by a higher power to benefit the Mavericks, but this isn’t the first time this has happened. The 2 other cases where this happened was Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers). Nothing was ever found to be tampered with in those cases and it’s likely the truth will never be known around Luka’s trade.
Cooper Flagg to the Mavericks
Cooper Flagg will be a crucial piece for the Mavericks’ starting lineup:
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Cooper Flagg
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Derrick Lively II
This starting 5 is, on paper, is one of the best in the league. If Dallas can make the most of this strong team in the upcoming season, Nico Harrison have regained the trust of the fans. Unfortunately, this roster may only have a short window to capitalize on their strength. Klay, Kyrie and AD are all heading towards the end of their career and aren’t the players they one were. Hopefully this new, young talent can bring some life to these legends of the game.
Do you think the Mavericks just got lucky, or is there more going on behind the scenes in Dallas?
Getting In Your NBA 2026 Betting Picks Early
Already, at the top US sportsbooks, the odds for the next NBA Championship winner are out, but the trade was not enough to see the Mavericks jump up the pecking order. As of this moment in time, the futures odds on them to go on to win are @+3300, behind the 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Spurs, Clippers and Nuggets. Betting on the outright winner right now can yield some high ROI, especially for those mathematically inclined bettors who use hedged betting strategies.
Besides the Thunder, who are the @ +220 favorites to win the Championship in 2026, there are plenty of dutching possibilities with the Knicks, Cavaliers, Rockets, and Magic are concerned. Don’t forget, you have cash out options with futures bets, and the offers will fluctuate right up until the last few days of the regular season, so there is more than enough time to pull the plug on any losing bets and cut your losses.
More intriguingly, a lot of top US books are opening special markets purely on Cooper Flagg, relating to how the fresh faced SF may impact next year’s regular season. More than a longshot for next season’s NBA MVP, but Cooper Flagg is currently a hot bet for the NBA Rookie of the Year.
Cooper Flagg ROTY @ -190
Or, you can browse through some highly demanded NBA props bets, such as whether the Mavericks’ wunderkind will record a triple double anytime in the regular season, if he will bucket 50+ in a single game, and whether he will make 30+ points in his first game. Hot stuff indeed, and we will keep a close eye on these futures bets throughout the summer to keep you updated with any trends or unmissable prices. Follow us on X @BettingToolsus to get our latest betting picks while they’re hot, and stay in the loop for new sports betting bonuses.
