Nets Thrash Wizards in Potential Cooper Flagg Showdown

Two teams that will likely be competing for the NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick faced off Monday.

Oct 14, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Kyle Kuzma (33) dribbles the ball against Brooklyn Nets small guard Cam Thomas (24) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Nearly a year out from the 2025 NBA Draft, teams are likely already salivating at the prospect of adding Duke forward to their ranks.

There will, of course, be hundreds of prospects chomping at the bit to rise up the draft ranks and potentially assume the No. 1 pick mantle — and even the 6-foot-9 Flagg, with his premier two-way game, won’t walk into that spot. But for the purposes of this piece, let’s assume he sees the season with the Blue Devils that many experts are projecting.

Washington and Brooklyn, two teams widely projected to finish near the bottom and contend for the No. 1 pick, faced off in preseason action Monday night.

NBA preseason games are to be heavily taken with a grain of salt, but Brooklyn’s 131-92 thrashing of Washington showed a clear divide between the two rosters.

The Nets won all four quarters, handedly winning the final frame, 42-22, proving its depth over Washington. Even aside from the box score, Brooklyn rolling out veterans in Dennis Schroder, Cam Johnson, Ben Simmons and more, appeared to widen to gap between the two.

The NBA season will feature thousands of games with millions of varying factors, meaning the Wizards and Nets finishing near the bottom isn’t a sure-fire thing. But typically, experts are on the money regarding who will finish in the bottom tier.

Of course, Washington finishing narrowly ahead of Brooklyn as the leagues worst team would likely only give it a slight percentage edge in landing Flagg or another prospect at No. 1. But for now, it seems the leagues worst team is clear.

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