The Dallas Mavericks getting the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft shocked everyone, including oddsmakers and sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
- Just 3.8% of the wagers backed Dallas to get Cooper Flagg before the lottery.
- The Mavericks made the biggest move in NBA draft history.
- The Washington Wizards were the most-bet team to land Flagg before the lottery.
On Monday afternoon, just hours before the NBA announced the draft lottery, ESPN BET had the Mavericks at +3,300 to draft Duke star and highly expected first selection Cooper Flagg. Dallas was 10th-highest on the operator’s NBA Draft Lottery odds list.
BetMGM had even longer odds for Flagg to be a Maverick before Monday night.
.@dallasmavs get 1st pick.
— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 12, 2025
Dallas was +4000 to get No. 1 pick at @BetMGM ✅ pic.twitter.com/ZO6sOzFxj7
The Mavs received just 3.8% of the wagers and less than 1% of the handle in the Team to Select Flagg market before the Mavericks turned a 1.8% chance into claiming the No. 1 lottery ping-pong ball.
Caesars Sportsbook didn’t bother listing the Western Conference team in a Monday post on the social media site X.
Which team will land Cooper Flagg tonight? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/h1lr1Fu2ji
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) May 12, 2025
The Mavs were too far back, but their 10-spot ascension is the biggest move in NBA draft lottery history, ESPN reported.
Market shakeup
ESPN BET gave the Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards a tie at the top of the market’s odds at +550. The New Orleans Pelicans were next at +600, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers at +700.
The most-bet team to land Flagg before the draft lottery was Washington, which got 25.5% of the handle. The 76ers received 21.9% of the money, with the Hornets following at 19.3%.
Currently at FanDuel, Flagg leads the No. 1 overall market with odds of -100,000. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper is listed next at +10,000. Fellow Rutgers star Ace Bailey and Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe follow at +20,000 each.
Harper opened as the favorite at ESPN BET to go second overall at -2,000. The San Antonio Spurs own that pick. At -125, Bailey is just ahead of Edgecombe (+140) to go third, a selection that will be made by the 76ers.
