The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is in the books. It delivered another round of speculation and hope for the future. While fans from across the league focused on where the top prospects would land, one fan remains firmly on the sidelines—still boycotting the Dallas Mavericks. Even with Luka Dončić no longer on the roster, frustration runs deep. The way the Mavericks folded in the play-in tournament only reinforced the same grievances that have lingered for years.
Dallas had a real shot. That’s what made the collapse even more painful. Despite trading away the franchise cornerstone, the Mavericks fought their way into the Western Conference play-in round. With a playoff spot within grasp, the team came out for two critical games and promptly fell flat. Not just defeated—uninspired. Both contests resembled preseason exhibitions. No urgency, no fight, no cohesion. A group with something to prove barely looked invested.
Now consider the contrast: the Chicago Bulls. With just a 1.6% chance at the top pick compared to Dallas’ 1.8% chance, Chicago had even less reason to dream about landing the number one overall selection. And yet, when the ping-pong balls stopped bouncing, the Bulls were right where the odds placed them—twelfth overall. There was something poetic about it. Sometimes, the basketball gods seem to get it right.
The disconnect between opportunity and execution in Dallas is nothing new. It didn’t start with the Luka Dončić trade, and it won’t end with this year’s lottery. For over two decades, the Mavericks have consistently attracted big-name talent, only to move on prematurely. A cycle has emerged: sign or trade for a star, excite the fan base, then bail before building anything meaningful.
A walk through the Mavericks’ history tells the tale. Start with Steve Nash. Paired with Dirk Nowitzki in the early 2000s, the duo looked poised for greatness. But when it came time to pay Nash in 2004, Dallas hesitated. Phoenix welcomed him with open arms—and Nash became a two-time MVP while the Mavericks watched from afar.
Then came Chandler Parsons. Signed with high expectations and a hefty contract, Parsons was supposed to be a long-term piece. Injuries and inconsistencies followed, and Dallas quickly moved on before giving him a chance to adjust or recover.
DeAndre Jordan was the center of the infamous 2015 free agency saga. After being courted aggressively by Dallas and initially agreeing to a deal, Jordan backed out and returned to the Clippers. When the Mavericks finally signed him in 2018, he was traded midseason as part of the Kristaps Porziņģis deal. His tenure in Dallas barely lasted a few months.
The Porziņģis chapter added more fuel to the pattern. Acquired as Dončić’s co-star, he never fully found his place in the system. Injuries, chemistry concerns, and a lack of patience from the front office led to a trade to Washington before the pairing ever had a real chance.
Harrison Barnes also became part of this troubling trend. Meant to lead in the post-Dirk era, Barnes put up numbers and stayed professional. His reward? A mid-game trade that pulled him off the court in real time. That moment captured the team’s approach perfectly.
Dennis Smith Jr. was drafted ninth overall in 2017 and handed the keys to the offense. One year later, he became the centerpiece of the Porziņģis trade. Whether Smith was destined for stardom or not, the team barely gave him a full season to develop.
And, of course, Jalen Brunson. A second-round pick who blossomed into a fearless playoff performer. When extension talks came up, Dallas hesitated. New York did not. Brunson walked in free agency, and the Mavericks were left with nothing. He’s now flourishing, while Dallas continues its search for a reliable on-court leader.
Then there’s Luka Dončić. A generational talent and draft-day steal who carried the franchise for years. Despite his efforts, the front office never delivered the support needed to build a consistent contender. Dysfunction grew. The departure felt inevitable. Now, Dončić is gone, and the Mavericks are back at square one.
The trend is clear—Dallas chases stars but rarely commits long-term. When it comes time to invest, to build around a player through challenges, the organization retreats. Whether it’s cap flexibility, short-term thinking, or mismanagement, the cycle repeats: talent arrives, excitement builds, then everything resets.
Which brings everything back to the lottery. Despite a history of missteps and instability, Dallas ended up with better odds than Chicago. A franchise like the Bulls, for all their flaws, has shown a willingness to stick with players and build patiently. The front office has stumbled, but there’s a foundational sense of loyalty and continuity that Dallas often lacks.
Since the Derrick Rose era, the Bulls have hovered between rebuilding and mediocrity, but they’ve resisted the urge to fully tank. No trust-the-process teardown. No fire sales. Just continuous effort to stay competitive, however frustrating that path may be. That effort counts for something.
Now, all eyes turn toward the 2025 NBA Draft, where Cooper Flagg is widely expected to be selected by the Mavericks with the number one overall pick. A player with superstar potential, Flagg represents hope. But for Dallas, the real question isn’t whether a player like Flagg can change the team’s fortunes—it’s whether the franchise can finally change itself. Will Dallas commit to building around a rising star the right way, or will this be another chapter in a long line of wasted potential?
Here’s the thing, folks: There’s a reason some fans are still boycotting this franchise. It’s not bitterness over one player. It’s not just about Luka. It’s about two decades of half-measures, wasted potential, and short-term thinking. It’s about loyalty not being reciprocated, about promises made and broken. About a team that constantly wants a new beginning but never learns from the ending that came before.
With that… Let other fans buy the hype. Let them talk themselves into this being “the year” that things turn around. That this new draft pick will break the cycle. The Mavericks will have to prove it first. Until then, there’s no reason to believe this won’t be just another name on the long list of what-ifs.
If you cannot play with them, sometimes you shouldn’t root for them either.