As the Chicago Bulls toe a very dangerous NBA Draft lottery line, the Dallas Mavericks may have just lent a helping hand.
According to Marc Stein, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is expected to return after sitting out for nearly a month. The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has been sidelined since February 9 with a left foot sprain. The injury forced Flagg to miss the team’s last eight games, where they went just 2-6.
The Mavericks currently sit 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 21-40. This means they currently own the seventh-highest lottery odds, which gives them a 32.0 percent chance at a Top 4 pick and 7.5 percent chance at a second consecutive No. 1 overall selection. Of course, the franchise is no stranger to how rewarding the ping pong balls can be. They held just the 11th-best lottery odds last season to leapfrog a slew of tanking teams for Flagg.
Speaking of which, the 2025 NBA Draft lottery will forever be ingrained in Bulls history. The organization had the same record as the Mavericks, meaning a coin flip was done to determine who would receive the more favorable odds. The basketball gods rewarded the Mavericks, stripping the Bulls of a franchise-altering talent. It will be a tough pill to swallow for years, but might Dallas be able to return the favor over the next couple of weeks?
Bulls Should Keep Close Eye on Mavs
There is no question that Cooper Flagg’s return makes the Dallas Mavericks better. The generational talent was playing some of his best basketball in the lead-up to his recent injury, which included dropping a career-high 49 points on 20-29 shooting against the Charlotte Hornets on January 29.
Overall, in his six games pre-injury, Flagg was averaging an outstanding 32.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. He was also shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from downtown. Even more impressive, he did this against some serious playoff-caliber competition. Not only did he show up against the surging Hornets, but he also had strong nights against the Rockets, Celtics, Spurs, and Suns.
Now, it’s worth noting that the Mavericks did lose each one of those six games. In fact, the team has gone a mere 2-14 dating back to January 24. They also hold the NBA’s fifth-toughest remaining strength of schedule, per Tankathon, which bodes well for their lottery ambitions. But, once again, Flagg will undoubtedly have a positive impact on this group. And that could turn into very good news for the Chicago Bulls.
As things currently stand, Chicago is just 3.5 games behind the Mavericks in the lottery standings. The Memphis Grizzlies currently sit between the two squads with a record of 23-38 and a 1.5 game gap on the Bulls. All things considered, passing the Grizzlies has felt like the Bulls’ only plausible option over the next few weeks, especially with the two still set to face off against each other twice. But might creeping up on the Mavs now be in the realm of possibility?
No one should get their hopes up, but the Mavs sure feel like a team that will at least try to rattle off a few more wins. Flagg is their clear centerpiece, and they aren’t necessarily going to shut him down, especially as he continues to show so much growth. Conversely, as hard as their schedule might be on paper, a lot of their Western Conference opponents could begin to rest guys ahead of the playoffs. We typically see it as we get deeper into March.
There is also the fact that the Bulls and Mavericks play each other in the very last game of the regular season. While the chances of this game mattering aren’t necessarily the highest right now, it’s also not entirely out of the question!
At the end of the day, the Bulls are a franchise that needs all the help it can get when it comes to regaining relevance. Flagg’s return may not end up mattering in the way the front office likely hopes, but it’s certainly something to keep a close eye on over these final six weeks. Bulls fans got to cheer for something, right?
