NBA Exec Said Mavs GM Harrison Traded Luka Doncic for Cooper Flagg After Lottery Win

One NBA executive quipped Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison basically played four-dimensional chess when he traded franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite long odds, the Mavs won the 2025 NBA draft lottery Monday night, putting them in position to land Duke star Cooper Flagg.

"He traded Luka for Cooper," the executive said of Harrison to The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

A lot of people watching the lottery unfold shared that opinion.

Trading Dončić was met with immediate scorn as fans protested outside of American Airlines Center, and some canceled their season tickets. Chants of "Fire Nico" became a regular occurrence at games. Injuries to stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving doomed Dallas' quest for a championship as the team failed to advance out of the Play-In Tournament.

And yet, the Mavs almost certainly don't wind up in the lottery if the Luka trade never happens.

There's no way Harrison can claim this was the plan all along. From the moment the deal was announced, the GM emphasized Davis' defensive value and how his presence would help Dallas take the next step. The franchise was supposed to be competing for a title right now.

Instead, Harrison lucked his way into a potential All-NBA talent, one who can fill the void left by Dončić in terms of both his talent and wider significance to the organization. He can lean on Flagg to help shape the long-term future, or he could even use Flagg as a tremendously valuable trade asset in another win-now swap.

In the NBA, there's no guaranteed blueprint for success.

A franchise can spend multiple seasons in the doldrums in the hope of winning the lottery and kick-starting a rebuild, only to wind up missing out year after year. Meanwhile, a different team can basically do everything wrong and backslide its way into the No. 1 pick.