You can't blame San Antonio Spurs fans for all but expecting to see the Dallas Mavericks card to come up when NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum unveiled who would get the second pick of the draft. Two years after winning the right to pick Victor Wembanyama and among the final two in the lottery for the fourth time in their history, the Spurs appear to have missed out on Cooper Flagg.

The Mavs are expected to take the former Duke star, who's the league's best prospect since, well, Wemby just two years ago.

Most teams that took part in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery don't realistically think they'd come away with the chance to pick Flagg. Then again, no team has had the Spurs' luck in the lottery.

Flagg's most recent competitive game came in San Antonio. The consensus College Player of the Year and his Blue Devils fell to the Houston Cougars in the Final Four Semifinals at the Alamodome.

During his time in the Alamo City, ClutchPoints asked the 18-year-old wing player his thoughts on the city.

“It's beautiful. It's a beautiful place. I'm overjoyed,” Flagg responded. “The weather and everything, just being here. It's a beautiful city.”

Duke worked out at the Spurs headquarters shortly after their arrival that week.

“The Spurs facility is very new, very modern,” Copper told ClutchPoints.

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“It's a beautiful facility, amazing, top of the notch facilities is what they have. It's a great place.”

Spurs almost lucked out in the lottery once again

After coming away with Hall-of-Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan via the lottery before landing Wembanyama, the Spurs have defied the odds, especially when a clear-cut top pick has been at stake.

In those three draft lotteries, the Spurs did not have the best chance at the first pick. Never in their now-nine lottery trips have the Silver and Black ended up with a selection lower than what they would've had if the league drafted according to standings order. They'll actually have two lottery picks next month, courtesy of the 2022 Dejounte Murray trade to the Atlanta Hawks. The ping pong balls determined that the pick would occur where it was slotted, at 14.

At 34-48, the Spurs finished with the eighth-worst record in the league. They beat the odds again.

Given their monumental history of outrageous luck in the lottery, it just doesn't feel that way.