While all eyes are on the NBA Playoffs, those eliminated teams were focused on the NBA Draft lottery Monday. The Mavericks got the lottery balls to fall their way as they will select No. 1 overall despite coming in with a 1.8% chance to land the top pick. That means presumed No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg could end up in Dallas. It ends up being a fascinating subplot considering the Mavs just traded Luka Doncic.
There are plenty of other intriguing prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft, like Rutgers products Dylan Harper Jr. and Ace Bailey. While the 2024 draft wasn’t considered to be as talented, this year’s draft is expected to have potential stars. Flagg continues to be the projected No. 1 pick as he could be a franchise-changing player for Dallas right after the Mavs front office traded away an All-NBA talent in Doncic.
From the Celtics’ perspective, there wasn’t much drama when it comes to their own team. They have their own first-round pick at No. 28 overall, plus they get the No. 32 pick from the Wizards. But there were some other things to watch from across the league that could impact some of Boston’s rivals. Here’s a look at the full draft order.
Last year, Boston president Brad Stevens and his front office picked Baylor Scheierman at No. 30 overall and Anton Watson at No. 54 overall. Scheierman showed flashes near the end of his rookie season and could eventually become a rotation player. Watson was waived from his two-way contract and landed with the Knicks.
The main storyline coming out of Monday is the Mavericks winning the lottery. Dallas shocked the NBA world when it traded Doncic, and after falling out of the playoffs, the future seemed bleak with injured stars. But the lottery balls bounced perfectly for the Mavs as they’ll get a chance at another potential superstar in Flagg.
Here’s a look at the 14 teams who make up the lottery and where they’re picking:
No. 1: Dallas Mavericks
No. 2: San Antonio Spurs
No. 3: Philadelphia 76ers
No. 4: Charlotte Hornets
No. 5: Utah Jazz
No. 6: Washington Wizards
No. 7: New Orleans Pelicans
No. 8: Brooklyn Nets
No. 9: Toronto Raptors
No. 10: Houston Rockets
No. 11: Portland Trail Blazers
No. 12: Chicago Bulls
No. 13: Atlanta Hawks
No. 14: San Antonio Spurs
