Some Wizards fans may be feeling a sense of deja vu with the result. Fourteen years ago, Washington had a shot at a highly touted Duke prospect heading into the lottery but also ended up with the 6th and 18th picks. That Duke alum was Kyrie Irving, the prize of the 2011 NBA Draft.

Wizards officials put on a brave face in the aftermath, but Washington absorbed the most brutal gut punch the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.

It wasn't a good day to be a sports fan in the nation's capital with the Wizards, Nationals and Capitals all losing in hours.

Well, that was a rough lottery for the Washington Wizards. In a draft lottery where they had one of the best odds to nab the first overall pick, the Wizards fell all the way to the sixth overall pick. It's a brutal day for fans in D.C, as they went from dreaming about Flagg to rethinking their entire draft plans.

The Dallas Mavericks won the lottery. Entering the day with a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they overcame the odds and earned the right to pick Duke star Cooper Flagg next month, beating out more favored teams like the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets.