Mavericks win draft lottery/Flagg
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This all certainly worked out well for the league. There was a problem. The NBA’s flagship franchise Lakers dearly needed a new superstar with Lebron at the end of the line. And then, lo and behold, they’re suddenly given one with the most baffling trade ever.
So then the problem is another big market franchise has a fan base quitting on them because of that trade. Until …lo and behold …guess who wins the Cooper Flagg lottery despite having only a 1.8 percent chance?
What luck that league has!
So then the problem is another big market franchise has a fan base quitting on them because of that trade. Until …lo and behold …guess who wins the Cooper Flagg lottery despite having only a 1.8 percent chance?
What luck that league has!
That **** is so unbelievably rigged it’s insane.
You want people to stop saying that? Show the world the balls actually being drawn live on TV.
Why don’t they? Because it’s rigged.
You want people to stop saying that? Show the world the balls actually being drawn live on TV.
Why don’t they? Because it’s rigged.
Thought they did the balls at first and it was boring, took forever but I could be imagining things.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. So, no I of course don't think it's rigged.
There would be no way for the league to keep that quiet. Someone would squeal. And then the lawsuits...
So no, it's not rigged. But it certainly makes you consider it.
Do NOT draft Flagg. They are built to win NOW. Have AD / Powell / Lively / Gafford at the PF/C position. Take some of that depth, #1 pick and go get Giannis. Giannis / AD / Kyrie is a 3 headed MONSTER. 3/5 years of terror. IF they was to go get him, depending on who they would have to include, line could be :
PG - Kyrie / Klay Thompson
2G - Naji Marshal (13/5/3) / Max Christie (11/3/2)
SF - Giannis / PJ Washington
PF - AD / Kaleb Martin (8/4/2)
C - Derrick Lively (rookie year averaged 9/8/2 / 1.56 blocks) Will be a stud rim protector / inside scorer. / Daniel Gafford (12/7 / 1.8 blocks in only 21 mpg) another solid not in his prime defender / inside scorer.
That is a deep / great defensive / well balanced / scoring at every position / veteran / top tier team. Easily one of THE top teams to win it all. And not just for a year or two, 4/5 years. We have learned in the NBA, win while you can, tomorrow is not given.
Trade may cost them PJ, but if so, Dante Exum can spell Giannis. May need to get rid of Klay Thompson to help salary cap. Jaden hardy has a bright future and he could slide into the SF spot to also give Giannis a breather.
Other nice pieces the Mavs have : Spencer Dinwiddie solid back up PG who averaged 11/3/4 / Kai Jones (center) only 24 and shows promise at center. / Kessler Edwards (SF) another young player, 3 years in the league. / Jaden Hardy, 2 year pro plays SG. / Olivier-Maxence Prosper, rookie SF is a nice, athletic wing.
PG - Kyrie / Klay Thompson
2G - Naji Marshal (13/5/3) / Max Christie (11/3/2)
SF - Giannis / PJ Washington
PF - AD / Kaleb Martin (8/4/2)
C - Derrick Lively (rookie year averaged 9/8/2 / 1.56 blocks) Will be a stud rim protector / inside scorer. / Daniel Gafford (12/7 / 1.8 blocks in only 21 mpg) another solid not in his prime defender / inside scorer.
That is a deep / great defensive / well balanced / scoring at every position / veteran / top tier team. Easily one of THE top teams to win it all. And not just for a year or two, 4/5 years. We have learned in the NBA, win while you can, tomorrow is not given.
Trade may cost them PJ, but if so, Dante Exum can spell Giannis. May need to get rid of Klay Thompson to help salary cap. Jaden hardy has a bright future and he could slide into the SF spot to also give Giannis a breather.
Other nice pieces the Mavs have : Spencer Dinwiddie solid back up PG who averaged 11/3/4 / Kai Jones (center) only 24 and shows promise at center. / Kessler Edwards (SF) another young player, 3 years in the league. / Jaden Hardy, 2 year pro plays SG. / Olivier-Maxence Prosper, rookie SF is a nice, athletic wing.
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^ Agree. People saying that Flagg alongside Kyrie & AD will be great but the timelines don't work. By the time Flagg could potentially be an All NBA / MVP caliber player, Brow and Kyrie will be closer to 40 than 30 years old, and they might not even make it that far if injury history is any indicator.
I know they’ve changed the process since but look up the Patrick Ewing lottery rig.
They used to pull envelops, the league infamously put the Knicks envelope in a freezer beforehand so they knew to pick the cold one so Ewing could be a Knick.
It’s such a known story it’s not even a conspiracy at this point.
The NBA has been propping up their most marketable franchises since its origin.
Kyrie - 25/5/5 - career 40% 3FG shooter, one of the top PG in the game.
Marshal - 13/5/3
Giannis - 30/12/7/1 block/1 steal - Top 5 offensive player in the game, top 5 defender in the game.
Davis - 25/12/4/2.5 blocks / 1.5 steals - Elite scorer / defender
Lively - 9/8/2/1.56 blocks - Young, elite defender, inside scorer, only will get better.
That starting 5 is best in the league and its not even close.
Klay Thompson - 14/3/2 - Deadly shooter, above average defender. Proven veteran who has seen and done it all.
Max Christie - 11/3/2 - Young, good shooter (39% 3FG) only 2 years in the league
PJ Washington - 15/8/2/1 block / 1 steal - A very good 2 way player who can shoot / defend / pass / play the 3-5 positions if needed. Very versatile player who can be a lead scorer or be an elite role player / bench player.
8 top level guys, nice mixture of youth and veterans. Guys who have been there / done that. All kinds of championship / playoff pedigree. Throw in a young guy like Gafford and veteran Spencer Dinwiddie, and you have 10 deep team who has it all. I would be super giddy if I was the Dallas Mavericks front office and would do whatever it takes to make this happen. But I know some of these guys would have to be included with draft picks, but it far outweighs the drafting Flagg and putting in the PF/C group with AD / Lively / Gafford. He will not do any better than what they have at that position. They are stacked. Flagg has NEVER played a NBA game, he is going to be very good down the road, but will he be AD / Giannis good ? Nowhere near that the first 4/5 years IMO. Win NOW.
Marshal - 13/5/3
Giannis - 30/12/7/1 block/1 steal - Top 5 offensive player in the game, top 5 defender in the game.
Davis - 25/12/4/2.5 blocks / 1.5 steals - Elite scorer / defender
Lively - 9/8/2/1.56 blocks - Young, elite defender, inside scorer, only will get better.
That starting 5 is best in the league and its not even close.
Klay Thompson - 14/3/2 - Deadly shooter, above average defender. Proven veteran who has seen and done it all.
Max Christie - 11/3/2 - Young, good shooter (39% 3FG) only 2 years in the league
PJ Washington - 15/8/2/1 block / 1 steal - A very good 2 way player who can shoot / defend / pass / play the 3-5 positions if needed. Very versatile player who can be a lead scorer or be an elite role player / bench player.
8 top level guys, nice mixture of youth and veterans. Guys who have been there / done that. All kinds of championship / playoff pedigree. Throw in a young guy like Gafford and veteran Spencer Dinwiddie, and you have 10 deep team who has it all. I would be super giddy if I was the Dallas Mavericks front office and would do whatever it takes to make this happen. But I know some of these guys would have to be included with draft picks, but it far outweighs the drafting Flagg and putting in the PF/C group with AD / Lively / Gafford. He will not do any better than what they have at that position. They are stacked. Flagg has NEVER played a NBA game, he is going to be very good down the road, but will he be AD / Giannis good ? Nowhere near that the first 4/5 years IMO. Win NOW.
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You have so many guys out of position. Giannis and PJ do not play the 3, Naji Marshall has never played the 2, and Klay Thompson has never played the 1.
That’s a good point actually. If they can trade that pick for someone already established, they could pull off a run a la the Celtics when they put Pierce, Garnett, and Allen together.
PJ HAS played SF. Hell he did it this year with AD and Gafford at the 4/5. Klay is a 2, but he has played the PG position. Not to mention if would only be to spell Kyrie. Klay can actually play the 1-2-3. With AD at the 4, Lively at the 5, Giannis would play the SF by position only. He scores a TON of his points starting out on the wing / free throw line area and drives it in. Size says PF, game more like wing.
With that team I mentioned, it would truly be positionless basketball. Marshall is more of a SF, but 6-6, can handle it. What position did he play with the Mavs ?
The lineup I listed, tell me why it would not work ? But it is kind of a moot point as some of those guys would have to be included to get Giannis, but it was more of a "what could be" thinking.
Definitely but that whole thing felt rigged to me. Nico makes the worst trade ever, now they are setup for a championship run if they draft Flagg or trade him for someone like Giannis. Injuries are the reason the finished where they did, but it feels like it was way too convenient for this to happen while legit teams like an Utah who need him get the 5th pick!
I think Flagg is easily good enough now to play 3rd fiddle on a championship team. He will be a guy who scores like 17/10 a game year one. A healthy Kyrie, AD, PJ, Flagg, and Lively will contend the next 4-5 years easily. They will be skilled and have good defense too plus Flagg’s contract allows them to be aggressive and get another star if they wanted because they save 100M off Doncic’s supermax deal off the top.
If I were them I would look at an aging star on a team that needs cap relief and try to get a deal done. Imagine if they bring in KD or something if he will take a lesser deal. He only has one year left at his Max deal level before he’s a UFA. They could even rent him for a year if they wanted.
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It started with Ewing. Why I have so little interest in the NBA.
I think Flagg fits in really well with their current team and would be allowed to be a secondary option, much better for his development.
However, it would make a million times more sense in this scenario to trade Irving and Davis and build around Flagg.
It wouldn’t matter if it was “live” on TV, because ANYTHING can be deepfaked/ A.I. on any screen if you have the wants and means! Just look at the Power Ball and MegaMillions lotteries… 5-6 drawings per week between the two, and not a single person knows anyone, who knows anyone, who knows anyone, who has EVER won the 6 number jackpot, and they have been around what, 30-40 years?
Wake up, you’re not in Kansas anymore Dorthy
I actually and very legitimately know someone that won the Powerball 2 years agoIt wouldn’t matter if it was “live” on TV, because ANYTHING can be deepfaked/ A.I. on any screen if you have the wants and means! Just look at the Power Ball and MegaMillions lotteries… 5-6 drawings per week between the two, and not a single person knows anyone, who knows anyone, who knows anyone, who has EVER won the 6 number jackpot, and they have been around what, 30-40 years?
Wake up, you’re not in Kansas anymore Dorthy
But I get your point.
You honestly have to wonder if the wheels of this weren't set in motion by Adam Silver months ago. Dallas unhappy with Luca, Silver sees that theres a transcendent (and marketable) potential superstar coming into the league next year. Silver makes the call and offers up Cooper Flagg (or his draft capital) and in return, Dallas has to send Luka to the Lakers in a fairly lopsided trade. This could have been in the works as far back as the UK/Duke game.
Doesn't make much sense why Dallas would trade a potential mega-star, doesn't make sense why they'd trade him just Anthony Davis (and not some more), doesn't make sense why they essentially only offered the trade to LA, and it doesn't make much sense that Dallas wins the lottery with 1.8% chance to win.
Makes you wonder, if people could ever bet on the draft lottery, what would happen. Of course Vegas is in on this as well and they'd never let that happen.
Doesn't make much sense why Dallas would trade a potential mega-star, doesn't make sense why they'd trade him just Anthony Davis (and not some more), doesn't make sense why they essentially only offered the trade to LA, and it doesn't make much sense that Dallas wins the lottery with 1.8% chance to win.
Makes you wonder, if people could ever bet on the draft lottery, what would happen. Of course Vegas is in on this as well and they'd never let that happen.
I went to school with Jaqueline Fightmaster, the girlfriend of the dude who won in Georgetown. So, debunked.It wouldn’t matter if it was “live” on TV, because ANYTHING can be deepfaked/ A.I. on any screen if you have the wants and means! Just look at the Power Ball and MegaMillions lotteries… 5-6 drawings per week between the two, and not a single person knows anyone, who knows anyone, who knows anyone, who has EVER won the 6 number jackpot, and they have been around what, 30-40 years?
Wake up, you’re not in Kansas anymore Dorthy
Say it ain't so!!! 
Somebody on here knows that joker in gtown who just won.It wouldn’t matter if it was “live” on TV, because ANYTHING can be deepfaked/ A.I. on any screen if you have the wants and means! Just look at the Power Ball and MegaMillions lotteries… 5-6 drawings per week between the two, and not a single person knows anyone, who knows anyone, who knows anyone, who has EVER won the 6 number jackpot, and they have been around what, 30-40 years?
Wake up, you’re not in Kansas anymore Dorthy
I wouldn't blame them for not admitting it.
At long last I have some inside information...my NBA friend who I can't name gave me all the details on this conspiracy.
It's just as many suspected: the NBA wanted the Lakers to have a superstar so they arranged for them to get Luka in exchange
for the top draft pick. But it almost fell apart when that do gooder Pops was going to reveal the conspiracy. In the end Pops got a lobotomy which was called a stroke and the Spurs got the 2nd pick as a reward for saving the situation. None of it would have ever worked if all the other billionaire owners hadn't been completely selfless; none cared about their own personal glory or the value of their franchises. They were all happy to rig things against themselves for the good of the league.
It's just as many suspected: the NBA wanted the Lakers to have a superstar so they arranged for them to get Luka in exchange
for the top draft pick. But it almost fell apart when that do gooder Pops was going to reveal the conspiracy. In the end Pops got a lobotomy which was called a stroke and the Spurs got the 2nd pick as a reward for saving the situation. None of it would have ever worked if all the other billionaire owners hadn't been completely selfless; none cared about their own personal glory or the value of their franchises. They were all happy to rig things against themselves for the good of the league.
Never knew that. A bit disappointing to hear but why do I care? I never watch the nba anymore.
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Even if they did it on live TV, they could easily rig it. NBA has been rigged since the 50’s
I’m sorry but wut?It wouldn’t matter if it was “live” on TV, because ANYTHING can be deepfaked/ A.I. on any screen if you have the wants and means! Just look at the Power Ball and MegaMillions lotteries… 5-6 drawings per week between the two, and not a single person knows anyone, who knows anyone, who knows anyone, who has EVER won the 6 number jackpot, and they have been around what, 30-40 years?
Wake up, you’re not in Kansas anymore Dorthy
Flagg is NEVER going to be anything close to an MVP level player in the NBA.
What on earth has gotten into some of you when evaluating this kid? His upside is basically a slightly better Michael Porter Jr.
What on earth has gotten into some of you when evaluating this kid? His upside is basically a slightly better Michael Porter Jr.
Considering New Orleans got the #1 pick the year they traded AD to the Lakers and now Dallas gets #1 the year they traded Luka to the Lakers, yea the formula is simple, trade a superstar to the Lakers get the #1 pick.
Okay, that last name was driving me insane. Nobody in England was called fightmaster. So, I looked it up. It is a german name called fechtmeister. The surname Fightmaster is an Americanized form of the German word "Fechtmeister," Ancestry.com says. Fechtmeister means "master fencer" or "show fighter," with a possible connection to begging and thieving jargon,
Upside? If you're talking upside there's nothing that couldn't be listed for his future. He's unreal athletic for 6'11" a great ball handler and plays hard
What are you seeing that says he has a low ceiling
Cause it's far from the truth
Here is the Mavs current depth chart (with Flagg) and last year's stats. They need a pass first PG in free agency. I think PJ will backup both AD and Flagg. Irving out until January at least. I like Jwill's idea of trading Flagg for Maxey and a pick.
| 2025-26 Depth Chart |
| PG |
| (I)Kyrie Irving(SG) - 6-2/195 - 33 - 50 gm 47.3% fg 40.1% 3pt 91.6% ft 24.7 ppg 4.8 rpg 4.6 apg 1.3 spg 26.8 per |
| Brandon Williams(SG) - 6-1/190 - 26 - 33 gm 52.1% fg 40.0% 3pt 83.3% ft 8.3 ppg 1.8 rpg 2.3 apg 26.1 per |
| SG |
| Klay Thompson(SF) - 6-5/215 - 35 - 72 gm 41.2% fg 39.1% 3pt 90.5% ft 14.0 ppg 3.4 rpg 2.0 apg 19.2 per |
| Max Christie(PG/SF) - 6-6/190 - 22 - 32 gm 41.1% fg 36.4% 3pt 86.2% ft 11.2 ppg 4.2 rpg 2.5 apg 16.5 per |
| Jaden Hardy(PG) - 6-4/198 - 23 - 57 gm 43.5% fg 38.6% 3pt 69.8% ft 8.7 ppg 1.6 rpg 1.4 apg 14.1 per |
| SF |
| Cooper Flagg(PF) - 6-9/209 - 18 |
| P.J. Washington(PF) - 6-7/230 - 27 - 57 gm 45.3% fg 38.1% 3pt 72.2% ft 14.7 ppg 7.8 rpg 2.3 apg 1.1 spg 1.1 bpg 22.6 per |
| Caleb Martin - 6-5/205 - 30 - 14 gm 38.9% fg 25.0% 3pt 62.5% ft 5.4 ppg 2.9 rpg 1.9 apg 11.7 per |
| PF |
| Anthony Davis(C) - 6-10/253 - 32 - 9 gm 46.1% fg 23.3% 3pt 68.8% ft 20.0 ppg 10.1 rpg 4.4 apg 2.2 bpg 36.6 per |
| Naji Marshall(SG/SF) - 6-7/220 - 28 - 69 gm 50.8% fg 27.5% 3pt 81.3% ft 13.2 ppg 4.8 rpg 3.0 apg 1.0 spg 23.3 per |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper - 6-8/215 - 23 - 52 gm 40.2% fg 23.5% 3pt 64.5% ft 3.9 ppg 2.4 rpg 18.6 per |
| C |
| Dereck Lively - 7-1/234 - 21 - 36 gm 70.2% fg 63.0% ft 8.7 ppg 7.5 rpg 2.4 apg 1.6 bpg 30.0 per |
| Daniel Gafford - 6-10/234 - 27 - 57 gm 70.2% fg 68.9% ft 12.3 ppg 6.8 rpg 1.4 apg 1.8 bpg 35.0 per |
| Dwight Powell - 6-10/240 - 34 - 55 gm 68.9% fg 65.1% ft 2.1 ppg 2.1 rpg 1.0 apg |
Dinwiddie, Jones and Edwards are all free agents who likely won't be back. The Mavs have 14 under contract (counting the #1 pick), so that leaves room for a facilitating PG, which they don't have now. I would trade Flagg to the Sixers for Maxey and pick #35 in a heartbeat if the Sixers would go for it. Then take a shot with Lamont Butler at #35, because he is an NBA defender and ball handler.
Kyrie/Maxey/PJ/AD/Lively (Gafford is still better than Lively right now, but Mavs insist on Lively when healthy) with that bench, is a title team. With Maxey, you don't really need to depend on Kyrie (World B Flat) Irving coming back from an ACL.
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Yes, plus he averaged 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks, which is unheard of. That is Flagg's most impressive statistic by far. I'll be shocked if he doesn't get Rookie of the Year, assuming he stays healthy.
No. That's what he was billed as coming out of HS. He showed very good athleticism for the college game. Will probably be slightly above average in that regard at the NBA level.
Great ball-handler is also wrong.
At this point, any effort by the NBA to suggest they don’t rig their systems ranks right up there on the believability scale with professional wrestling claiming nothing they do is scripted.