This is emphatically not the situation Cooper Flagg is about to walk into. If everything goes right, the Mavericks -- who improbably won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Monday night -- could genuinely contend for the 2026 championship.

It turned out to be a wild evening for Dallas Mavericks fans. After entering with just a 1.8% chance to win the NBA draft lottery, Dallas made history and secured the No. 1 overall pick. The favorite to be taken with the top selection? Duke superstar Cooper Flagg.

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off the impossible on Monday night, rising all the way up to the first overall pick for the 2025 NBA Draft. They entered the night w