After making the biggest leap in NBA draft lottery history to land the No. 1 overall pick, the Dallas Mavericks plan to select Duke forward Cooper Flagg and will not entertain the possibility of trading away the pick for a proven superstar, sources told ESPN.
The Mavs had only a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery after being eliminated in the Western Conference's final play-in game to end a tumultuous, injury-ravaged season.
The unlikely lottery victory occurred a few months after Dallas general manager Nico Harrison shocked the NBA and outraged the Mavericks' fan base by trading five-time first-team All-NBA selection Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by 10-time All-Star power forward center Anthony Davis.