Dallas Mavericks win the No. 1 pick in NBA draft lottery

• And the timing is uncanny: The team is still rebounding from one of the wildest trade in NBA history — sending Luka Dončić to the Lakers — and missing this year's playoffs after making it to the NBA Finals last year.

Fun fact: The Mavericks had a 1.8% chance of getting the first pick Monday night.

State of play: If the Mavericks don't trade their pick, Dallas could end up with the top players in both men's and women's college basketball.

• The Dallas Wings also had the No. 1 pick this year and selected Paige Bueckers last month.
• The Mavs now have the chance to add Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the 2024-25 National Player of the Year, to their roster.

What they're saying: Even before the lottery, fans were saying Dallas should trade to get Luka back if they won the No. 1 pick.

• "God please reward us for all the pain we've been through," a fan wrote on the team's Instagram post explaining how the lottery works.

Between the lines: Mark Cuban broke the news to team governor Patrick Dumont, who was watching one of his kids compete in a track meet, per DMN reporter Brad Townsend.

• Cuban was screaming so much, Dumont couldn't make out the words at first.

Zoom in: Flagg has been the presumed No. 1 pick since last summer, when he held his own on the practice U.S. Olympic squad as a 17-year-old.

• After a stellar college season, the 6-foot-9 forward is seen by some scouts as a bona fide franchise player, while others see him as an elite second star, per ESPN.

What's next: The first round of the draft takes place June 25.