The Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with only a 1.8% chance, and a recent mock draft sees them slide back a spot, helping balance the scales.
By trading Anthony Davis and shutting down Kyrie Irving for the season, the Dallas Mavericks are openly admitting that they have no plans to make a playoff push this season.
Good!
With the 12th-best record in the Western Conference and eighth-worst record league-wide, there's no point in the Mavericks trying to save face and win 35 games this season. It simply won't happen.
The organization has signalled that it is all-in on Cooper Flagg as the future, meaning the team must surround him with complementary young talent. Max Christie and Naji Marshall have stepped up in big ways this season, and with Dereck Lively II poised to return next season, the Mavericks have a solid core.
Plus, they own their own draft pick in 2026.
Mock Draft Sees Mavs Pick Ninth
In a recent mock draft published by SB Nation, the NBA Draft Lottery was simulated. Dallas, despite having the eighth-best odds, slid one spot down to ninth overall.
After winning the 2025 lottery with only a 1.8% chance, fans should agree that a drop in one spot is fair.
With their pick, the Mavericks are projected to select Washington's Hannes Steinbach from Germany. Landing a German big man has worked out for Dallas in the past, especially with the ninth pick!
Steinbach is averaging 18 points in his freshman season and leads the Big Ten with 11.3 rebounds per game. He can space the floor, in thepory, allowing the Maveicks to go jumbo with him, Lively II, Flagg, Marshall, and Christie.
Of course, the Mavericks will also get Kyrie Irving back next season, so there will be a veteran playmaker on the roster.
Steinbach is a solid defender, an excellent rebounder, and should turn into a floor-spacer with experience. Perhaps the Mavericks can luck into a Brook Lopez to pair with Flagg, who is expected to be one of the top defenders in the league once he hits his prime.
If Dallas adds Steinbach, they will still need to find a young point guard who better fits Flagg's timeline. Irving, it seems, will be a temporary solution, although with the ninth pick, the Mavericks should just nab the best player available. Steinbach, it seems, is just that.