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Insider Boldly Claims Dallas Mavericks’ 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Was ‘Fixed’

Nitish SinghNitish Singh
NBA: Patrick Dumont watches play during the second half of the Dallas Mavericks game against the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Center.
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

When the Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with just 1.8% odds, the reaction around the league ranged from stunned to suspicious. 

Months earlier, the franchise had traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that many believed signaled the start of a long rebuild. Instead, Dallas landed the No. 1 overall pick and selected Cooper Flagg, instantly restoring hope.

Pablo Torre Shares Allegations About NBA Draft Lottery

Now, veteran journalist Pablo Torre has added fuel to lingering conspiracy theories. Speaking on the Chapo Trap House podcast, Torre claimed that two NBA owners privately suggested the lottery was “obviously fixed.” 

According to Torre, skepticism extended to influential figures inside league circles.

“I’ll tell you that I remember I was at an event and I spoke to two NBA owners,” Torre said. “This was the day after the NBA lottery. And those two owners were both like, this was obviously fixed.”

“It’s not just people on the Internet saying, this seems fixed to me…I’m saying literally two NBA owners did not trust the hand of Adam Silver to remain out of the proceedings in terms of rigging the NBA draft lottery,” he added.  

The optics, admittedly, were dramatic as a franchise criticized for trading away a generational star suddenly lands another widely regarded as a franchise cornerstone. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers secured Dončić as LeBron James approaches the twilight of his career. To conspiracy-minded observers, the sequence felt too convenient: a struggling Dallas franchise regained relevance overnight, while the league’s marquee brand remained competitive.

Still, suspicion does not equal evidence.

Questions Surrounding the NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA conducts the draft lottery in front of media representatives, team officials, and the independent auditing firm Ernst & Young. While networks do not air the ping-pong ball drawing itself live on television in prime time, officials document the process and make it available publicly afterward.

Multiple reporters who have attended the lottery room over the years have consistently stated that officials operate the procedure in a tightly controlled and monitored way.

From a probability standpoint, unlikely outcomes are not impossible ones. Dallas Mavericks’ 1.8% chance is small, but it is not zero. Teams have made similarly dramatic jumps in previous lotteries without widespread allegations of tampering. 

Context Behind the Dallas Mavericks’ Lottery Jump

The Mavericks had never previously vaulted from such long odds to No. 1, which arguably made the result feel more shocking than suspicious.

It’s also worth noting that Dallas’ internal plan did not revolve around drafting first overall. The franchise intended to compete after acquiring Anthony Davis and pairing him with Kyrie Irving. Injuries derailed that plan, sending the Mavericks into the lottery conversation unexpectedly.

If anything, Torre’s comments reflect a broader issue regarding Dallas, given a declining trust in league transparency during moments of high-stakes change. Conspiracy theories thrive when outcomes feel narratively perfect.

But until credible evidence surfaces, the claim remains just that, a claim. For now, Cooper Flagg is a Maverick, and Dallas’ improbable lottery win stands as one of the most surprising twists in recent NBA history, not necessarily a scripted one.

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Tags :Cooper FlaggDallas MavericksNBA DraftNBA Draft 2025NBA Draft Lottery

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