The Dallas Mavericks somehow managed to strike gold in the NBA Draft Lottery as they came away with the first pick in the upcoming draft after having only a 1.8% chance of getting it. In light of this, Mavs CEO Rick Welts recalled his own experience with the draft lottery conspiracies from 40 years ago involving Patrick Ewing going to the New York Knicks.
Welts mentioned that he was part of the first-ever draft lottery that took place in the NBA. He said:
“I’m the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago. I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I’ve been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally.”
The 1985 NBA Draft saw Ewing come forth as the No. 1 overall pick to join the Knicks. However, the process of his selections is where the matter becomes a bit dubious. Several suspected that the NBA rigged the lottery that year, the first time the lottery system was introduced to the league, to help revitalize the New York Knicks as a franchise.
Many theories suggested that the tampering of the envelope in the form of creasing or even the “frozen envelope” theory was done so that the NBA Commissioner at the time, David Stern, could identify it right away. However, there is a distinct lack of concrete evidence regarding the same.
The current situation sees an almost identical situation, albeit under different circumstances. The odds did not favor the Mavericks to land the top pick in the slightest. However, the team somehow jumped 10 spots to secure the chance to land a generational talent in Cooper Flagg.
The Mavs had a very tumultuous season. The last stretch was particularly tough for the city of Dallas, especially since trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. In light of this, several suggest that the lottery pick was the NBA’s compensation for facilitating the Doncic trade. While there isn’t much evidence to suggest the same, the alignment of events is certainly suspicious.
Regardless, having the opportunity to draft Flagg is a huge bonus for the Mavericks, as they hope to reinvigorate their core with new life. This is also a great sign for the city of Dallas as they receive yet another first-overall pick after their WNBA team, the Dallas Wings, drafted Paige Bueckers earlier this year.
This could spell the start of a bit of a redemption arc for the franchise as well. After a difficult end to the season, Mavs GM Nico Harrison and the rest of the front office will be aiming to fulfill their promise to the team and hopefully bring them to a place where they can be a competitive side again.
