The Dallas Mavericks' improbable win of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8% chance has reignitedconspiracy theories about the lottery being rigged, and we have eight examples through history where it just might be.

Three months after gifting Luka Dončić to the Lakers in what many are calling a historic robbery, the Dallas Mavericks somehow won the lottery. With the No. 1 pick, Duke sensation Cooper Flagg is now expected to land in Dallas, unless GM Nico Harrison entertains another surprising trade.

Four different teams made high-profile trades or lost superstars right before the NBA draft lottery and then surprisingly won it.