PHOENIX – The NBA Draft lottery was on Monday night, and it brought a lot of reactions and scrutiny from analysts and players around the league. One of the stars in Phoenix had an opinion on the matter, as Kevin Durant took to X to share his thoughts:
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Tanking must be really stressful on a organization.
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 13, 2025
Mar 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) looks on against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
NBA Lottery brings bad luck:
The three teams with the worst records in the NBA, the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Utah Jazz, all missed having a top-three pick.
The Dallas Mavericks only had a 1.8% chance of receiving the number one pick as they had 39 wins on the season and made the play in tournament. This lottery draft system seems to be flawed in more ways than one, though the NBA seems like they would rather create more engagement with suspense and uncertainty over the draft, rather than following a normal format that would help out franchises who actually could use it.
May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; Rolando Blackman of the Dallas Mavericks reacts with Mark Tatum NBA Deputy Commissioner after winning the the first pick during the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
This comes after one of the biggest trades the NBA has seen in recent years when Dallas shipped out superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. Some question if that deal has anything to do with this situation.
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 (@JoePompliano) May 12, 2025
The top three picks in the NBA Draft are the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia 76ers. Questions are being raised about how this Mavericks franchise, which just recently made the NBA finals in 2024, ends up being the team to get the franchise-altering number one pick.
May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; Duke players L-R Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg, during the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Number one pick:
Cooper Flagg seems to be the initial unanimous number one overall pick. Flagg would join the likes of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis in Dallas. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has recently been grilled by the media, players, and fans, over the Doncic trade. Though Harrison gets the last laugh as he now gets a winning lottery ticket dropped into his lap.
The Dallas Mavericks have won the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery for the first time in franchise history.
They are projected to select consensus top overall pick Cooper Flagg from Duke. pic.twitter.com/YsarhOIUAJ
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 12, 2025
Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
