Mavs climb 10 spots, earn rights to Cooper Flagg
By Noah Zimmerman
Noah@queensledger.com
It was a rough NBA Draft Lottery for the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, as they fell to the 8th overall pick. After holding the 6th worst record in the league, Brooklyn wasnít rewarded for a lackluster season that is best described as tank-adjacent.
To add insult to injury, the Nets will be selecting behind the Philadelphia 76ers, who were unpunished despite their blatant descent into the draft lottery.
Philly is guaranteed a chance for one of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, or Ace Bailey, the consensus top four in the class.
The outright winners of the lottery were surprising. Aside from the 76ers, the only other teams to move up in the lottery were the San Antonio Spurs (+6 spots) and the Dallas Mavericks (+10).
Conspiracy theorists can rejoice with Dallas landing the top overall pick, as they are just a few months removed from arguably the worst trade in NBA history. After moving Luka Doncic to the Lakers, the Mavs set a record for the highest jump in the lottery and can replace him with Flagg, the Duke standout.
Brooklyn will still be able to select plenty of talent, as they hold four first round picks (#8, #19, #26, and #27). Plenty of teams will also be calling, looking to offload albatross contracts in exchange for more picks and prospects.
For next season, the question turns back to the tank. The last two lottery winners finished with the 10th and 11th worst records, so is it wise for the Nets to hunt a top pick in 2026 even after recent lottery trends?
NBA DRAFT LOTTERY RESULTS
- Dallas Mavericks (+10 from 11)
- San Antonio Spurs (+6 from 8)
- Philadelphia 76ers (+2 from 5)
- Charlotte Hornets (-1 from 3)
- Utah Jazz (-4 from 1)
- Washington Wizards (-4 from 2)
- New Orleans Pelicans (-3 from 4)
- Brooklyn Nets (-2 from 6)
- Toronto Raptors (-2 from 7)
- Houston Rockets (-1 from 9)
- Portland Trail Blazers (-1 from 10)
- Chicago Bulls
- Atlanta Hawks
- San Antonio Spurs
