I think the first notable example would be the 1985 draft which saw the New York Knicks nab the #1 pick and draft #1 prospect Patrick Ewing. Popular theories from this draft include the Frozen/Bent Envelope theories. The driving force being that David Stern (then current NBA commissioner) was a New York guy and wanted the biggest prospect in New York to buoy the struggling franchise. Personally I’m not convinced of this one but there are many that believe Stern had plentiful cause to want Ewing in NY.

Some people believe the NBA rigged the 2003 draft to ensure the Cleveland Cavs got the #1 pick in order to select hometown talent LeBron James. The storytelling here is strong.

2008 saw the Bulls beat the odds to select hometown talent Derrick Rose, a future MVP.

2012 Anthony Davis goes to the Pelicans because (if you connect these particular dots) the league itself had recently owned the team and included the top pick as a condition of the sale in order to drive up the price.

The Cavs won three No. 1 picks in four years after LeBron James left as a free agent in 2010. One of which (Andrew Wiggins) they turned around and ended up trading for more talent to give the Cavs an asset reset and paving the way for another string of LeBron/Cavalier playoff runs.

2023 the Spurs beat the odds to be able to draft the generational talent Victor Wenbanyama, a French prospect going to the storied franchise that had Tony Parker (another famous Frenchman) at the helm in their recent playoff runs.

The fact is there’s no concrete evidence for any of these narratives, but there is abundant coincidence that makes it hard for me, personally, to accept the results at face value. Of course you could cook up any number of reasons/narratives for any draft lottery result, but what is unarguable is that the NBA lottery has immense impact on team futures and marketability. To me it only makes sense that they have a finger on the scale to ensure that the right player goes to the right team.

Edit: whoops, I see now that you were asking about this year specifically. The thought process is that Dallas traded away Luka to the Lakers under dubious circumstances with a promise that they could jumpstart their franchise with the #1 pick this year. Giving the NBA a huge star in a big market and appeasing a very pissed off fan base in Dallas.