Melissa Rohlin
Fox Sports NBA writer
The general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, Nico Harrison, has just been thrown a raft designed with ping-pong balls.
The Mavericks, which had a probability of 1.8 percent of winning the Lottery of the NBA Draft on Monday, won the best selection in the 2025 draft and the raffle for the Cooper Flagg consensus with a combination of four ping-pong balls.
It is a shocking floating device for Harrison, which had water in the leg since it changed to the 25 -year generational superstar Luka Donc to Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in February.
That movement not only surprised the world of the NBA, but alienated a fans base to the point where the songs of “Fire Nico” became common in the games at Mavericks’s house, and no one blinked when a journalist asked after the sea ended: “” “” “” “” “” “
Now, in approximately six weeks, the Mavericks will probably select Flagg, a 6 -foot 9th striker from Duke, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Blue Devils, which led them to the appearance.
The Mavericks, with the eleventh best probabilities in Monday’s lottery, jumped 10 places to obtain no. 1 Selection, which was the biggest jump of any team in the history of the lottery, according to ESPN’s investigation.
Related: How a currency turned with the Bulls landed to the Mavericks the No. 1 selection
“There is no f — King way,” wrote Kevin Love of Miami Heat in X. The superstar of the Lakers, LeBron James, also intervened in X, publishing nine emojis or a face laughing so strong that he is crying.
For the second time this season, the Mavericks left everyone’s mouth.
After the Mavericks Dalt Doncic, one of the three best players in the League, which is easily 10 years ahead, there was a generalized shock by the players, fans, and even Doncic and Davis. When the news appeared days before the exchange deadline on February 6, many people thought it was false.
Similarly, the Mavericks who won the Draft lottery seemed so unlikely that immediately after it was announced, the Internet was in flames with rumors that the lottery was manipulated.
“He was in charge of the draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won,” said the CEO of Mavericks, Rick Welts, journalists. “I have been making stories of conspiracy theory since then. This is very surreal, personally.”
Related: Where lottery probabilities lengths of the MAVs are classified from all time
Now, Harrison could have the opportunity to redeem himself, just even if this was noticing, but pure luck.
Harrison had long defended Doncic’s trade as a movement to win now, adding that the defense wins championships and Davis was one of the best defenders in the League. Now, they will also have Flagg, a elite bidirectional player who is expected to impact immediately.
Flagg, 18, was an all-American team of a unanimous first team and the national player of the year of consensus. He also won the wooden award, the Naismith Award and the national AP player of the year.
The Mavericks will probably have an initial alignment or Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Flagg, Davis and Daniel Gafford, a formidable combination of offensive and defensive fire power.
It is not questioned that his chans of being a contestant for the legitimate title shot, only with Irving losing the first months of the next season while recovering from an acl torn in his left knee he suffered in March.
“For us, it is a difficult year, as everyone knows,” said the representative of the Mavericks, Rolando Blackman, Monday in the ESPN broadcast. “The important part of everything is that we will have the opportunity to advance our franchise.”
As for Harrison, he will have the opportunity to rewrite his narrative.
After committing what one of the sausage errors in the history of the NBA, the basketball gods threw a franchise lobe.
He marked the first time in 17 Draft lotteries that the Mavericks obtained a higher choice than projected. Of 1,001 Ping-Pong ball combinations, the Mavericks entered the lottery with only 18, giving them the longest probabilities of a lottery winner in the history of the NBA.
It was a surprising blow of luck for a team that apparently surprised irreparly its fan of fans in complete disappointment only three months before.
Now, the Mavericks, which were eliminated in the game tournament, have a new hope and the opportunity to start repairing things with their fans.
As for Harrison?
You will get a strange opportunity: a second chance to make Mavericks a winning franchise.
Melissa Rohlin is a NBA Fox Sports writer. She previously covered the Sports Illustrated League, Loss Angeles Times, the news group from the Bay area and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @Melissarohlin.
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