Latest news with #CooperFlaggSweepstakes
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dwyane Wade Doesn't Deny NBA Draft Lottery Is Rigged
Three months after trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers in what many are calling a historic robbery, the Dallas Mavericks somehow won the lottery. With the No. 1 pick, Duke sensation Cooper Flagg is now expected to land in Dallas, unless GM Nico Harrison entertains another surprising trade. Against all odds — 1.8%, to be exact — the Dallas Mavericks emerged as the winners of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. But was it sheer luck — or something more? Dallas' improbable lottery win has sparked speculation among NBA fans, with some suggesting the draft was rigged. Dwyane WadeJasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports Utah Jazz fans are among the most frustrated, having endured the league's worst season only to drop to the No. 5 pick despite being tied for the best odds. To make matters worse, Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who is a co-owner of the Jazz, stirred controversy by hinting at a possible rigging in an interview with USA TODAY. Advertisement "It's a business," Wade responded when asked whether he believed the lottery was rigged. "I'm not saying anyone is doing anything because I'm not a witness in it. But this is a business that we are a part of. And I think people forget that in the competition of sports and what we love, because we grow up playing sports, and it's not a business when we grow up. But when you're in the NBA, it's a business. And the business has to do its best job to make sure that ... you know. It's taken care of. "So I don't know," the three-time NBA champion continued. "I'm just saying I think it was 2008 when I thought we (the Heat) were gonna get the No. 1 pick. We ended up getting the No. 2 pick. ... But the Chicago Bulls, just like Dallas, they had a small percentage and ended up jumping into the top four. And in my mind, I said, 'Derrick Rose is the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Bulls are going to get first.' And the Bulls did so — maybe that's a coincidence." Related: Heat Are the Biggest Losers Of the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes Related: Dwyane Wade's Message on NBA Being 'Rigged' After Draft Lottery
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nico Harrison Was the Talk of the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday
The 2024-25 NBA season has been nothing short of a roller coaster for Dallas Mavericks fans. Fans of the team and the rest of the NBA were blindsided by general manager Nico Harrison's decision to trade superstar and five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. To add salt to the wound, the Mavericks ended up getting a package centered around injury-prone Anthony Davis that was far less lucrative than what most around the league would have offered had Harrison shopped Doncic. Advertisement With Harrison going from relatively unknown to public enemy No. 1 in Dallas, the Mavericks ultimately missed the playoffs, further frustrating fans. While there didn't seem to be anything that could save Harrison from the wrath of Dallas fans, Monday night's NBA Draft Lottery may have changed that. Despite having just a 1.8% chance of securing the top pick, which is widely expected to be Duke star Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks ended up winning the lottery. A result that has plenty of fans on social media discussing how vindicated Harrison must feel. "Nico Harrison knew what he was doing this entire time," wrote one fan. Advertisement "What did Nico Harrison and Mavs ownership do to get this dawg lmao," questioned another. "Nico HARRISON IM SORRY FOR DOUBTING YOU," exclaimed another. "Nico Harrison is just like me, I make huge mistakes, but somehow it just works out in the end," joked another. "The draft lottery just saved Nico Harrison's job. Honestly Mavs might be better now with AD and Flagg than they were a few months ago with Luka," suggested another. Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Miron-Imagn Images While Harrison and the team still have to make the selection, most are viewing it as a formality. Following the conclusion of the lottery, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released a mock draft that has Flagg slated to end up in Dallas. Advertisement While Mavs fans rejoiced across the internet, Flagg himself didn't react very much following the announcement. Flagg and the rest of the NBA world will learn his official fate on Wednesday, June 25. Related: Mavericks Send Strong Message After Winning Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Draft Lottery: Date, No. 1 odds and what to know for the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes
2025 NBA Draft Lottery: Date, No. 1 odds and what to know for the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes Which teams have the best odds to land the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery aka The Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes? Here's everything you need to know. The NBA also 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Date: Monday, May 12 Location: Chicago, Illinois Odds to land the No. 1 pick The 14 teams that didn't make the playoffs have a chance to land the No. 1 pick. The teams that finished with the three-worst records — Utah, Washington and Charlotte — each have the highest odds (14%) at winning the No. 1 pick. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Here are the odds for every team in the draft lottery, based on team records at the end of the regular season. Teams that finished the season with identical records had their draft order determined by a random drawing. 1. Utah Jazz: 14% 2. Washington Wizards: 14% 3. Charlotte Hornets: 14% 4. New Orleans Pelicans: 12.5% 5. Philadelphia 76ers: 10.5% The Sixers' first-round pick is top-6 protected; if it falls between 7-14, it will go to Oklahoma City. 6. Brooklyn Nets: 9% 7. Toronto Raptors: 7.5% 8. San Antonio Spurs: 6% 9. Phoenix Suns: 3.8% The Suns' first-round pick will go to the Houston Rockets. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 10. Portland Trail Blazers: 3.7% 11. Dallas Mavericks: 1.8% 12. Chicago Bulls: 1.7% 13. Sacramento Kings: 0.8% The Kings' first-round pick is top-12 protected; if it falls out of that range, it goes to Atlanta. 14. Atlanta Hawks: 0.7% The Hawks' first-round pick will go to San Antonio. How the NBA Draft Lottery works The draft lottery determines the order of the first 14 picks. It takes place in a private room with NBA officials, representatives of participating teams, select media and the accounting firm Ernst & Young, which oversees the drawings, in attendance. For the drawings, 14 ping-pong balls (numbered 1 through 14) are dropped in a lottery machine. Before the lottery, 1,000 of a possible 1,001 combinations are assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. A league representative randomly selects four balls, revealing a four-number combination. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement From the NBA: The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks. If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected. Also, if the one unassigned combination is drawn, the result is discarded and the balls are drawn again. After the first four picks are determined, the remaining picks are based on regular-season records, in reverse order. NBA Draft order FIRST ROUND NOS. 15-30 15. Miami (to Oklahoma City via the LA Clippers) ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 16. Orlando 17. Detroit (to Minnesota via New York, Oklahoma City, and Houston) 18. Memphis (to Washington) 19. Milwaukee (to Brooklyn via New York, Detroit, Portland, and New Orleans) 20. Golden State (to Miami) 21. Minnesota (to Utah) 22. Los Angeles Lakers (to Atlanta via New Orleans) 23. Indiana 24. LA Clippers (to Oklahoma City) 25. Denver (to Orlando) 26. New York (to Brooklyn) 27. Houston (to Brooklyn) 28. Boston 29. Cleveland (to Phoenix via Utah) 30. Oklahoma City (to the LA Clippers) 2025 NBA Draft Guide Check out Kevin O'Connor's latest mock draft, and read up on scouting reports for every single prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft Guide.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
So what's the deal with the 76ers' 2025 1st-round selection?
Usually, when NBA teams find themselves in the bottom half of the league, they have the draft lottery to look forward to. Take the New Orleans Pelicans, who are currently projected to pick fourth. Their situation couldn't be more straightforward. They had a miserable season, in large part due to myriad injuries, and as a direct result, they'll likely get a fairly high first-round pick in this summer's NBA Draft. Advertisement Some teams, like the Atlanta Hawks, find themselves in the unpleasant situation of having relinquished control of their first-round pick, as they owe it to the San Antonio Spurs, unprotected. Then there are the Philadelphia 76ers, who — sigh — just seem to always find a way to make things extra difficult for themselves. [2025 NBA Draft Lottery: Date, No. 1 odds and what to know for the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes] The Sixers, who similarly to the Pelicans dealt with multiple injuries, find themselves projected to pick fifth overall in this year's draft. It's dark times for the 76ers now as so many players are injured. (Photo by) (Mitchell Leff via Getty Images) For their sake, they better hope that projection sticks, because if they drop down to seventh, that pick goes straight to the Oklahoma City Thunder — all due to a trade that was completed four and half years ago. Advertisement Remember when the Sixers thought signing Al Horford would be a good idea? That was in 2019, when Horford was already 33, and Philadelphia believed he could play the power forward position next to Joel Embiid. Things went ... about as well as you'd expect, and after a 67-game career with the Sixers, Horford was dealt to the Thunder in what can only be described as a salary dump. Here's the kicker: For the Sixers, who signed Horford to a four-year deal worth $97 million, they had to give up assets to get off the contract. One of those assets? Yeah, it's this year's pick, with top-six protection. Advertisement This means Philadelphia will be at the edge of its seat until the May 12 draft lottery, when it finally will learn its fate for this year's draft. For a team that disappointed so overwhelmingly and is stuck with two albatross contracts in the form of Embiid and Paul George, the Sixers need a win here and that means keeping the pick. You can, as an organization, see a much clearer path out of the dark wilderness if you add a top-six selection to a young core of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Quentin Grimes — assuming the 76ers stick with Grimes, who is a restricted free agent this summer. Losing this year's pick and having to go back to the dried-up well of Embiid and George, knowing that the cycle of perpetual injuries will undoubtedly rear its head again, would be a punch to gut. And it'd all be due to a trade made practically half a decade ago. Advertisement If anything, there's something to learn here. Handing out major long-term money to players approaching their mid-30s who project as wonky fits almost always end poorly. Some will argue the potential reward outweighs the risk, but those are probably the same people who will make a $4,000 investment into Aerotyne International after a phone call with Jordan Belfort. Basically, if a team has to gamble on any kind of talent, at least focus on young talent. The likelihood of such a player becoming an appreciating asset is much, much higher. Additionally, using picks to bail yourself out of trouble isn't actually bailing yourself out of trouble. It's just kicking the can down the road, with the selection getting more valuable, more attractive and more necessary — but no longer fully in your possession. Advertisement This is where you might be thinking "But if the 76ers keep their pick this year, it's fine, right?" Well, yes and no. The Sixers need this pick big time this year, especially to get better next season. Because they still owe the Thunder. That won't go away anytime soon. If the Sixers keep the pick this year, the protection on next season's selection lowers to top four, meaning the Sixers will have to pick within the first four selections to retain it. The same applies for 2027. (It gets nutty in 2028 due to the 2022 James Harden trade, which throws Brooklyn in the mix, but let's wait to lay that out, as we have enough to decipher aleady.) Having the pick convert to Oklahoma City next year would be preferable, assuming, of course, the Sixers bounce back next season and won't have to relinquish a lottery selection — something a top-six pick might be able to help with.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Draft Lottery: Date, No. 1 odds and what to know for the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes
2025 NBA Draft Lottery: Date, No. 1 odds and what to know for the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes The NBA's regular season is in its final week, with many teams still battling for playoff spots. For the teams that have already been eliminated, there's also a lot on the line: Increasing their odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, aka The Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes. While the NBA Draft won't take place until June 25-26, the NBA Draft Lottery is fast approaching. Here's everything you need to know about the lottery. 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Date: Monday, May 12 Location: Chicago, Illinois Current odds to land the No. 1 pick The 14 teams that do not make the playoffs have a chance to land the No. 1 pick. The teams that finish with the three-worst records will each have the highest odds (14%) at winning the No. 1 pick. Advertisement Here are the odds for every team currently projected to be in the draft lottery, based on team records entering Tuesday's games. Teams that finish the season with identical records will have their draft order determined by a random drawing. 1. Utah Jazz: 14% 2. Washington Wizards: 14% 3. Charlotte Hornets: 14% 4. New Orleans Pelicans: 12.5% 5. Philadelphia 76ers: 10.5% The Sixers' first-round pick is top-6 protected; if it falls between 7-14, it will go to Oklahoma City. 6. Brooklyn Nets: 9% 7. Toronto Raptors: 7.5% 8. San Antonio Spurs: 6% 9. Portland Trail Blazers: 4.5% 10. *Phoenix Suns: 3% The Suns' first-round pick will go to the Houston Rockets. Advertisement 11. *Miami Heat: 2% 12. *Chicago Bulls: 1.5% 13. *Dallas Mavericks: 1.0% 14. *Sacramento Kings: 0.5% The Kings' first-round pick is top-12 protected; if it falls out of that range, it goes to Atlanta. * The Suns, Heat, Bulls, Mavs and Kings are currently in the mix for play-in tournament spots and could potentially make the playoffs. How the NBA Draft Lottery works The draft lottery determines the order of the first 14 picks. It takes place in a private room with NBA officials, representatives of participating teams, select media and the accounting firm Ernst & Young, which oversees the drawings, in attendance. Advertisement For the drawings, 14 ping-pong balls (numbered 1 through 14) are dropped in a lottery machine. Before the lottery, 1,000 of a possible 1,001 combinations are assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. A league representative randomly selects four balls, revealing a four-number combination. From the NBA: The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks. If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected. Also, if the one unassigned combination is drawn, the result is discarded and the balls are drawn again. After the first four picks are determined, the remaining picks are based on regular-season records, in reverse order. 2025 NBA Draft Guide Check out Kevin O'Connor's latest mock draft, and read up on scouting reports for every single prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft Guide.
