The Dallas Mavericks have done something genuinely unusual in the modern NBA: they’ve accumulated multiple former first overall draft picks through a combination of blockbuster trades and lottery fortune. But a viral claim making the rounds — that Dallas has pulled off this feat “twice in two seasons” — stretches the timeline and includes at least one transaction that doesn’t exist.
Here’s what actually happened.
In February 2023, the Mavericks traded Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and draft compensation to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving, the 2011 No. 1 overall pick. Two years later, in the most stunning trade in recent NBA history, Dallas sent franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis — the 2012 No. 1 overall pick — along with Max Christie and a first-round pick. Irving and Davis, drafted in consecutive years by Cleveland and New Orleans respectively, were both on the Mavericks’ roster at the same time.
They never shared the floor. Davis injured his adductor in his first game as a Maverick and missed extended time. Irving, already dealing with a back issue, tore his ACL in March 2025, ending his season. The pairing that Dallas mortgaged its future to assemble produced zero minutes of competitive basketball.
Then came the draft lottery. In May 2025, the Mavericks — despite holding just a 1.8% chance — won the No. 1 overall selection, a moment that drew audible gasps and no small amount of conspiracy-theorizing given the Dončić trade’s aftermath. Dallas used the pick on Cooper Flagg, the consensus top prospect out of Duke. Flagg is the third former No. 1 overall pick associated with the organization in three years, and unlike Irving and Davis, he arrived via the draft rather than trade.
The viral claim, which originated on r/nba, goes further. It asserts that Dallas also acquired Zaccharie Risacher — the 2024 No. 1 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks — in a “Dort deal” set for 2026. No such trade has been reported by any credible NBA outlet. Risacher remains with the Hawks. That portion of the post appears to be speculative or entirely fabricated, which undermines the “twice in two seasons” framing.
What’s verifiable is still remarkable. The Mavericks have cycled through three No. 1 overall picks — Irving, Davis, and Flagg — in a 28-month window, a concentration of top-tier talent that few franchises have matched. The San Antonio Spurs drafted Tim Duncan (1997) and David Robinson (1987) first overall, but seven years apart and through the draft, not trades. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James (2003) and Kyrie Irving (2011) first overall, but those picks were a decade apart.
Dallas’s path was different — and far more chaotic. The Irving trade cost them depth. The Dončić deal cost them their identity. The Flagg pick was a lottery bounce that felt like a make-good from the basketball gods, or depending on your view of the lottery, something less explainable.
The on-court returns remain a blank page. Irving’s recovery from ACL surgery puts his 2025-26 availability in question. Davis, when healthy, remains an elite two-way big — his career defensive rating and block percentage rank among the best at his position — but his availability has never been the question; his durability has. Flagg is 18 and will need time to adjust to NBA physicality, though his college production — among the highest usage rates for a freshman in recent memory — suggests the transition won’t be slow.
The numbers say Dallas has assembled more former No. 1 picks than any current roster. The numbers also say they haven’t won a single game with more than one of them on the floor together. The accumulation is real. The results are pending.