As soon as the 2025 NBA Draft lottery concluded, controversy erupted, sparking a whirlwind of opinion and speculation on social media and in the trade press.
The Dallas Mavericks secured the coveted first pick despite having only a 1.8% chance of winning, a result that many found surprising and fueled conspiracy theories. In a “strategic” move, Nico Harrison surprised everyone by trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers, but now, with the first pick in the draft, they could take Cooper Flagg from Duke. The question is whether it was a fluke or a strategic move.
According to ESPN, this is the first time since 1985 that Dallas has secured this position, and they have everything in place to go after Cooper Flagg.
The most obvious target is Adam Silver, the commissioner of the league. It’s true, there’s no denying his great business skills in the NBA; he’s taken the brand to an unprecedented level.
Almost a year ago, Silver gave a master class in selling NBA television rights with huge deals worth $77 billion over 11 years. Amazon, NBCUniversal and ESPN cannot be denied that ability, but when it comes to the draft lottery, Adam starts to get nervous.
Robert Griffin III starts speculating
The former NFL player, who had a stint with the Ravens and Browns, posted a tweet tonight making it very clear that there could be NBA manipulation in giving the Mavericks the first pick in the draft.
“Dear NBA fans, this is a secure area. Is the NBA Draft lottery rigged? Why or why not? The Dallas Mavericks made the worst trade in NBA history, sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers, and then were rewarded with the #1 pick in the draft lottery to potentially draft Cooper Flagg. WHAT!?” he wrote.
For his part, Patrick Mahomes celebrated on his X account, not caring about the criticism he received in the comments section.
Could it be that Nico Harrison was ahead of the game with his strategy and had everything under control? A stroke of luck or maybe the Internet speculation and theories are true and Adam Silver gave them a little push. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next few hours as this has definitely overshadowed the playoffs.
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