The Dallas Mavericks will rebuild round Cooper Flagg after buying and selling away Luka Doncic, however Rolando Blackman was not keen to let sleeping canines lie.
The Dallas Mavericks had their fortunes reversed in the course of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, touchdown their first prime general choose in franchise historical past. Dallas will definitely choose Duke standout Cooper Flagg first general, jumpstarting their rebuild within the post-Luka Doncic years.
Nonetheless, the Mavs didn’t want to wish for his or her 1.8% odds to be fortunate. They may have merely constructed round Doncic, a generational participant in his personal proper who had already endeared himself to followers.
Whereas the Mavericks have fun a brand new chapter, it’s arduous to not look again on what might have been and picture if Doncic had stayed in Dallas.
Because the on-stage consultant for the Mavericks, former participant and four-time All-Star Rolando Blackman was interviewed by ESPN’s Shams Charania simply moments after the draft order was revealed.
Whereas Blackman was clearly thrilled, and shocked, by the outcomes, he didn’t maintain again when speaking concerning the season that received them within the lottery within the first place.
“Nicely, for us it’s been a tough 12 months, as you all know,” Blackman stated on stage. “However the vital a part of the entire thing is that we’ll get an opportunity to maneuver our franchise ahead.
“Now we have an amazing, large employees and administration. And the vital issue for us is to with the ability to proceed in that custom and to have the ability to transfer ahead.”
Dallas followers comprehend it, followers of each different workforce comprehend it, the media is aware of it, and Mavericks’ gamers comprehend it: Nico Harrison buying and selling away Luka Doncic at midnight to the Los Angeles Lakers with out even entertaining affords from different groups was a travesty and one of many worst trades ever.
The one one that isn’t conscious of that truth is Harrison himself, architect of the commerce.
For the reason that deal, Harrison has overwhelmed his “protection wins championships” drum, insisted that he has no regrets, and claimed that he gained’t even be in Dallas in 4 years, so he’s seeking to construct a winner now.
With seemingly each public (or semi-public) look he makes leading to him digging himself deeper right into a gap, he possible was thrilled to make use of the Draft Lottery to assert some kind of victory for himself and his employees, though Blackman, by calling the season a “tough 12 months” and clearly alluding to the ache of the commerce, put Harrison again within the canine home.
Whereas followers can have fun the longer term, the previous remains to be very, very recent, and Flagg has the burden of a woeful franchise on his shoulder.
