This NBA season has been unprecedented in many ways and the lottery was no different. The Dallas Mavericks, who had the lowest odds to win, netted the number one overall pick and the chance to select Cooper Flagg in June. This comes after trading away Luka Doncic this year.
It was a drama filled lottery, but who came out on top and who was left wanting more? Here are three winners and two losers from the lottery results.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
I mean this is just obvious right? For the last three months, we have all been writing the obituaries of the Mavericks as a franchise. Trading away Luka Doncic, a generational superstar for a fraction of his value, still blows the mind of many NBA followers. Mavs fans were not letting general manager Nico Harrison hear the end of it.
Now? Well, Dallas has the number one overall pick and the chance to take Cooper Flagg, the best prospect in this year’s class. The word generational is used way too often, but Flagg fits that mold. After trading away their phenom, the Mavs now have another one on their hands and the fanbase can feel excitement again.
Loser: Tanking
Three teams entered the night with a 14 percent chance to get the number one pick: The Wizards, Hornets, and Jazz, three of the worst teams in the league this season. The three teams combined finished with 192 losses this year. Neither of them ended up with a top three draft pick. The top three ended up being Dallas, San Antonio, and Philadelphia.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver changed the lottery system in 2019 to discourage tanking and so far, it has worked. Teams like the Mavs, who had a 1.8 percent chance to win the lottery, won’t always vault to the top, but it at least gives teams who have low odds to win, a chance to get a top five pick.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs expected to be in the play-in/playoff mix this season, but after a season-ending injury to Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio shifted its focus to the lottery. They ended up with the second pick and the 14th pick. The Spurs have capitalized on their lottery luck the last two years, securing Wembanyama in 2023 and Stephon Castle last season.
San Antonio is ready to take the next step, which is towards playoff contention. With two lottery picks at their disposal, they can now use those as assets in a trade for a mega star (Giannis anyone?). The Spurs signaled they were ready to contend by acquiring De’Aaron Fox and kept most of their assets in the process. Now, the lottery results set them up for another big move.
Loser: Utah Jazz
The Jazz have been ruthlessly tanking the last two seasons and it has not yielded the results they have hoped for. Utah once again finished outside the top three in the lottery and lost out on the chance to select Flagg.
The Jazz have a lot of intriguing young and veteran talent, but they lack a franchise-level player. As good as Lauri Markkanen is, he is not a centerpiece to build around. Fortunately for Utah, this class is full of talent and they are at pick five, so they can move up for a player they like or hope a top talent like Ace Bailey or Derik Queen falls to them. Not a bad consolation, but the Jazz could not capture the Flagg.
Winner: Houston Rockets
Houston surprised everyone this season by vaulting to the second seed in the Western Conference and took Golden State to seven games in the first round. The Rockets did come up short, but things are looking up for the organization. They netted the tenth overall pick, thanks to the Phoenix Suns.
One thing the playoffs showed was that Houston needs a go to scorer. They have a lot of young talent in Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jalen Green, but adding a veteran All-Star next to them could make the Rockets a sneaky championship pick next season. Whether it is Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, or someone else, Houston is positioned to upgrade their roster in a meaningful way this offseason after the lottery.