Nico Harrison Says 'Fortune Favors the Bold' As Mavs Win Lottery, Draft Cooper Flagg

The Dallas Mavericks drafted who they hope will be the face of their franchise on Wednesday, taking Duke star Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.

The Mavs won the draft lottery after making one of the biggest trades in NBA history, sending Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Anthony Davis. They had just a 1.8 percent chance of getting the first pick.

Dallas general manager Nico Harrison believes the team's risky trade decision led to its good luck.

“Fortune favors the bold," Harrison told reporters. "So exciting things fell our way.”

Harrison also called Flagg “a generational talent" and a “once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

Dončić was both the face of the franchise and the player who was supposed to lead the Mavs back to a championship before he was traded. Understandably, Harrison faced some major backlash following the move.

After drafting Flagg, Harrison hopes some of the backlash will subdue.

"I'm hoping so," Harrison told reporters. "I'm assuming so, maybe."

But in the moments leading up to the draft, fans were still upset with Harrison.

In his season-ending press conference, Harrison addressed that he was aware of Dončić's importance to the fanbase, but admitted that he didn't know the extent of his importance.

"I did know that Luka was important to the fan base," Harrison said. "I didn't quite know it to what level."

Ultimately, Harrison's decision to part ways with Dončić can't be undone now, but if he can help lead the Mavericks to a championship, fans might ease up a bit. While Harrison wasn't responsible for Dallas landing the No. 1 pick since it's decided a random, landing Flagg certainly bodes well for the future of the Mavericks.

Flagg was a consensus national player of the year as a freshman, putting up 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. A core of Flagg, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving has the chance to at least compete in the playoffs early on in his career and could eventually bring the team a title.